New Western Athletics Director Ross Bjork said President Gary Ransdell made one thing clear when he interviewed for the position during the Sun Belt Conference Tournament — it’s not a “fix-it job.”

“Not a lot of things are broken,” Bjork said during his introductory press conference last Friday. “Some things are going to need to be tweaked, things are going to need to be analyzed, but there are not a lot of broken things here with this athletic program. It’s a great opportunity and a great foundation has been laid here.”

Bjork, who has been a senior associate athletic director at UCLA for the past five years, will begin his first official day as Wood Selig’s successor on April 26.

He said that he’s already working on a to-do list, which starts with giving thought to the near future of Western’s football and basketball programs.

Bjork stressed patience with the transition to Football Bowl Subdivision play but also said that “Sun Belt dominance” is going to be expected.

“We’ve made the investment as an institution to move into that level, so the next hurdle is to be one of the top programs in the Sun Belt Conference, going to a bowl game on a consistent basis,” he said. “You talk about aspirations beyond that — it’s a process.”

Bjork spent time as an associate athletic director at Miami (Fla.) and Missouri before coming to UCLA, gaining a reputation as a big-time fundraiser. He got his professional start as an assistant development coordinator at Western in 1996.

Ransdell said that Bjork’s commitment to improving finances played a pivotal role in his hire.

“His experience in the external operations of an athletic department, including fundraising, was an important factor,” Ransdell said. “We needed to have that in this appointment.”

Bjork said that Western’s facilities “rival, if not beat” many of UCLAs, and that the school’s resources should make it easy to continue to grow the success of the program — a program that won 70 championships during Selig’s tenure of 10-plus years.

“I don’t think it really matters whether you’re going into a situation that’s been an absolute success or failure, as long as you have the support from the president and the Board of Regents,” Selig said. “Ross has identified a job that is a great job in that regard.”

It’s hard to question Western’s athletic success over the last 10 years.

Left unknown is the leading figure behind that success.

Athletics Director Wood Selig has overseen 70 Sun Belt Conference Championships, and Western has experienced tremendous growth in moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision along with more than $100 million in facilities improvements.

But always next to Selig was President Gary Ransdell.

When former football coach David Elson was fired last November amid a winless season, Ransdell came to the table to speak. When the Board of Regents failed to approve a $34,000 raise for Selig in January, it was Ransdell that raised the money thanks to the Hilltopper Athletic Foundation.

Because when big things happen, Ransdell has always played a part — in supporting the move to the FBS, taking a role in coaching searches and providing a general presence in athletics that goes beyond minimum requirements.

Now that Selig is finishing up his tenure at Western, we’ll soon find out how much of a puppet Selig was in Ransdell’s quest to grow “WKU” into a leading American university — and further, how hard Ransdell pulled the strings on recent athletic decisions.

The two were under serious scrutiny as the Topper football team’s losses piled up last fall. After all, Selig and Ransdell were the driving forces behind Western’s move to the FBS.

So speculation ensued around Elson’s firing, as Selig said two months beforehand that the seventh-year head coach’s job was safe. More skepticism rose when Selig announced his resignation, citing a move home to Norfolk, Va., as the reason.

Yet after Ransdell pulled the carpet from underneath Elson, in a way he did the same to Selig.

And when Selig’s raise was put on hold in October, it seemed more than ever that a rift had grown between athletics and academics at Western.

More recently, Ransdell followed through on his task to find Selig’s successor within a month, hiring Ross Bjork of UCLA last Friday. In doing so, it was Ransdell that acted as an athletic director would.

The same way some athletic directors keep a coaching short list for their athletic programs in case a change needs to be made. The same way athletic directors are famous for acting quickly when facing adversity such as Ransdell did.

Begging the question: Is Ransdell simply a proponent to athletics at Western, or is he pulling the athletic director’s strings?

President Gary Ransdell, left, looks on as Athletics Director Wood Selig announces his resignation. Selig's last day at Western has not been set. He resigned to accept the same position at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. TANNER CURTIS/HERALD

Former Western tennis player Katy Tinius always wanted one more thing included in the over $100 million in construction and renovation to athletic facilities during Wood Selig’s 11 years at Western.

She wanted to find some more tennis courts, as just two sit tucked away near Nick Denes Field.

But now Tinius will have to wait for the next athletic director to get some more courts built — in addition to what President Gary Ransdell called “big shoes to fill” — after Selig announced Friday he is resigning to take the same position at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., replacing Jim Jarrett.

Selig, who grew up just a short distance away from Old Dominion, now gets to move back close to home.

“I just think anyone that is going to be filling his shoes, they’re definitely going to have to work their way into it,” Tinius said.

Ransdell said Friday that he hopes to have a new athletic director named within a month and that he already made a few calls, but Ransdell wouldn’t say who Western has already reached out to.

Undoubtedly, Ransdell has an idea of what he wants in Western’s next athletic director.

“I’ve got to have a probe. I’ve got to have someone that knows the business inside and out,” Ransdell said. “I’ve got to have a sound, seasoned athletic administrator that has been at a high level. I want someone that has been at great institutions and a part of great success.”

Recently, Michigan University hired the former CEO of Dominos Pizza and Indiana University hired an attorney from Indianapolis to be their athletic director. In choosing Selig’s successor, Ransdell said he expects to stay within the athletic realm.

“If I can find somebody that is a seasoned pro, that has the business acumen that understands this university — I’m not saying that I’m going to find someone that has a WKU pedigree, but I’ve got to have someone that understands our traditions, our values and what we stand for as a university. Finally, I’ve got to have chemistry,” Ransdell said.

Ransdell also pointed out the stark contrast in the search for Selig’s predecessor compared to the search in 1999, when Selig was ultimately hired.

“We had a lot of history and tradition to sell,” Ransdell said. “But we didn’t have much recent success.”

Eleven years later, facilities have been overhauled, 68 conference championships have been won and Ransdell says Western now has a “great athletic program.”

“I’m not going to have to do any selling. I’m not going to have to make many calls,” Ransdell said. “The calls are coming to us this time, and we’re going to have a hard time narrowing that pool to four or five individuals.”

Volleyball Head Coach Travis Hudson said Selig is a very involved, visible athletic director.

“He’s present. He’s there,” Hudson said. “He’s stopping by practices, he’s going on road trips. He knows our kids’ families. That’s a quality that I very much hope doesn’t get lost on the next candidate, because in the end this is about the student-athlete experience and that certainly plays a role.”

In light of Athletics Director Wood Selig’s resignation, Western is in need of a new one.

After already replacing one important member of Western’s athletic community last fall — football Head Coach David Elson — avid Western sports fans might be feeling a little dreary about the current situation.

Selig said he was leaving Western for personal reasons and wanted to get back to his roots by being with his family in Virginia. He accepted the athletic director position at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.

To make sure Western hires the right candidate for the job, the Herald is offering some ideas about qualities to look for when replacing Selig.

The new athletic director will need to be able to adapt easily to Western’s environment.

Western’s football team just moved to the Football Bowl Subdivision, so whoever replaces Selig must have the knowledge base to build the program back up and get support from fans.

The position requires someone who will be optimistic about Western’s future and is aware of any potential problems within athletics before coming into the position.

But the new athletic director cannot put all the focus on football. Some attention should go to Western’s other sports, maintaining and elevating them to brighter futures as well.

The new athletic director should work to secure the resources and funding to make Western a destination for coaches looking for a long-term job. It’s important as Western continues to grow that coaches are given competitive salaries and the resources needed to succeed at the highest level.

Transitions can be more difficult if those leading them aren’t experienced. Western could be seeing dark clouds on the athletic horizon if the new director doesn’t have prior experience with a similar transition. In addition to knowledge about growing athletic departments, he or she should also have the knowledge to sell college athletics in a competitive market that also includes schools like Kentucky and Louisville.

Part of the balancing act in keeping all of Western’s sports active is being business savvy. The university is a growing business, and all of its personnel must exhibit business qualities such as negotiating and compromising.

The business the new athletic director will head isn’t limited to the realm of sports. Western’s athletes have received great acclaim for their academic abilities and performances in the classroom.

Selig’s replacement must have the same commitment to maintaining high academic standards. Focusing on both athleticism and academics will enhance the athletics department even more.

Western’s athletic department is undergoing a makeover this year, and the new athletic director must clearly show the ability to take on new responsibilities in stride and lead Western into the future.

This editorial represents the majority opinion of the Herald’s 11-member editorial board.