On the day his interim athletic director, Gene Bartow, reported to work for the first time, San Diego State President Stephen Weber confirmed a major change will be instituted for Bartow's successor.

Instead of reporting to Weber, as former athletic director Rick Bay did, the school's new AD will report to Sally Roush, the school's vice president for business and finance.

The decision to alter the chain of command was at least partly initiated with an eye toward the athletic department's $1.45 million budget deficit.

"We've got great coaches and fine athletes," Weber said. "But we've got to get our financial house in order, and Sally brings some real strength and guidance in that regard. I think what we're going to find is that under Sally's leadership, we'll be able to provide more tools to the new athletic director and work with him or her to make sure we have more resources.

"Sally is held in very high regard throughout the California State University system. We've got a good program here. I think it will be stronger. At the moment, we need to understand how we're spending our money, and Sally can get us farther on that than I can."

Weber said Roush's influence has already shown results. The Union-Tribune reported last month that the tennis program will receive $50,000 in additional funding as well as a salary increase for the new head coach. Roush said budget savings from last year and this year made the move possible, and she expects many of the Olympic sports to receive increases, with no money taken from the football budget to pay for them.

"Ask yourself, 'Where would the philosopher sitting in the president's office have found that money?' " Weber said with a laugh. "That's exactly the point – how can we work more effectively together for the good of our athletes and coaches?"

Weber, who hopes to name a permanent AD by Sept. 1, denied that he made the move to have more oversight of a department that has seen a lot of turmoil in the past year – including the firing and/or resignations of the top three administrators after a critical report by the CSU auditor and also NCAA probation stemming from violations in football.

Meanwhile, Bartow, hired last month as interim AD, began his duties yesterday. His contract, which will pay him $36,000, runs through Oct. 1.

Sitting in the office formerly occupied by Bay, who was forced to resign May 22, Bartow received numerous calls from well-wishers around the country and met with a few coaches and staff members.

As he discussed his plans and hopes for the next three months, Bartow was already using the words "we" and "us" when referring to the Aztecs.

He said that for 90 days, he plans to work as if he were the "big AD." What that will entail, though, he is not entirely certain.

"(The coaches and staff) have a person here in the athletic director's office, which I think the president needed," Bartow said. "I can't solve all their problems, but I can give my thoughts and try to help in any way I can. As I see it, my job as the interim is to be a person the coaches can come to and visit, and hopefully I can help solve their problems.

"I've had a lot of experience."

Bartow, 72, was the athletic director at Alabama-Birmingham for 23 years before leaving in 2000. Since 2001, he has been a special adviser for the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA.

His college basketball coaching career began at Central Missouri State in 1961 and ended in 1996 at Alabama-Birmingham. He was John Wooden's successor at UCLA, going 52-9 in three seasons.

Bartow mentioned yesterday, off-handedly, that he never felt comfortable at UCLA. As he sat in the mostly barren AD's office, he said, "I feel comfortable sitting here."

Bartow will meet today with Roush and plans to discuss, among other things, the possibility that he will be involved in personnel decisions. While replacing departed administrators will be up to the new athletic director, a video coordinator and women's crew coach need to be hired soon.

"I'm going to do whatever I can to help President Weber and Sally pull this all together and make it work," Bartow said.

One thing Bartow will not be primarily involved with is the athletic department's implementation of changes recommended by the CSU auditor. The university pledged to make those changes by Dec. 15, and Roush and her staff are overseeing that process as well as the day-to-day business operations of the department.

Roush, who is SDSU's chief financial officer, said her office's continued involvement in the day-to-day operations of athletics will be re-evaluated after that Dec. 15 deadline.

She also said she doesn't think she'll be more involved in the department than she was before Bay's resignation.

Roush said the main change is that her role is more "authoritative." Asked if any changes in policy or philosophy will be noticeable, Roush said, "I would think not."

Roush said the move to put the athletic department under the business and finance umbrella has been discussed for years. She and Weber said that in discussion with people around the country the past month, they came to believe such a move is becoming a trend in college athletics.

"The day-to-day operations (of the athletic department) rely on effective interaction with the business part of the university," Roush said. "This facilitates that much more effectively."