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Evansville Courier & Press (Indiana)
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana University paid an Atlanta-based search firm at least $90,000 for its assistance during Indiana's hunt for a new men's basketball coach in March.
According to documents obtained via an open records request, Parker Executive Search - the firm that helped IU athletic director Fred Glass vet new coach Archie Miller - charged Indiana University $90,000, paid over two $45,000 installments, for its work. Parker also retained the right to bill IU for expenses incurred during the search, according to an agreement between the firm and the university, promising to "make every effort to hold reimbursable expenses to a minimum and ... ensure that our expenses are no more than 10 (percent) of the total fee."
That agreement suggested Indiana could have incurred further baseline expenses as well, but the $90,000 fee is described as "set."
Based on the north side of Atlanta, Parker Executive Search is widely considered one of the country's most prominent such entities. According to a 2013 ESPN story, that $90,000 fee is near standard for help they provide in identifying, contacting and vetting candidates during a coaching search.
It's not clear from the agreement exactly what role Parker played in IU's search for - and subsequent hiring of - Miller in late March.
But a heading titled "SCOPE OF WORK" outlines the firm's role in identifying, interviewing and following up with potential candidates. Parker promises help with background and reference checks, and in both coordinating and preparing for candidate interviews.
The agreement explicitly states that the firm will recommend and investigate qualified candidates, but has no ultimate say in the hiring decision.
Indiana hired Miller on March 25, just nine days after parting ways with Tom Crean, who spent nine years in charge in Bloomington.
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