Rochester, Mich. (Sept. 28, 2005) ???C Oakland University???s long-time Athletic Director Jack Mehl has retired from his post, university officials announced today. Men???s head basketball coach Greg Kampe will assume athletic director duties on an interim basis while a formal search is conducted for a permanent replacement for Mehl. ???I???ve been thinking about making this move for some time,??? said Mehl, who continues to serve as interim commissioner of the Mid-Continent Conference. ???With our recent success in the NCAA basketball tournament last March, and having established with the staff a solid framework for performance in Division I athletics, the time will probably never be better for me to transition.??? Since joining OU in 1995, Mehl successfully guided the OU athletics program into NCAA Division I from Division II. Along the way, he oversaw the construction of a new Athletics Center and the adoption of a new mascot, the Golden Grizzlies. OU has won 34 Mid-Continent conference titles since moving to Division I. ???Jack Mehl played a pivotal role in our move to NCAA Division I and helped put Oakland University athletics on the fast track to national recognition,??? said Oakland University President Gary D. Russi. ???His leadership and vision stand as his legacy to athletics at Oakland.??? Kampe has been men???s basketball coach at Oakland since 1984. He previously served as interim AD on one other occasion, in 1994. Last winter he took the Golden Grizzlies to the NCAA Tournament, winning the opening round game against Alabama A&M, and then losing in the first round to the eventual national champions, the University of North Carolina. During Kampe???s tenure as interim AD, Tracy Huth will serve as senior associate athletic director.