Q&A; WITH PAULA SMITH:Smith’s show at UCI

IRVINE — The countdown continues, but it doesn’t seem to bother Paula Smith.

UC Irvine’s recently appointed interim athletic director is busy at work. But the countdown to Aug. 15 looms. That’s the final date for applications for the permanent athletic director job.

As of now, Smith says she’s strongly considering it. After 11 years of work for the Big West conference, six of which she was assistant commissioner, one would think she is ready.

Hold on. She is ready.

The single 41-year-old of Lake Forest expressed that her resume is complete and she is treating the interim post as a test-drive to see if she really wants to become the athletic director of a program that just had arguably its best year in school history.

The Anteaters won their first men’s volleyball national championship and that wasn’t the only first for the athletic program. UC Irvine’s baseball team reached the College World Series for the first time.

Now the athletic department is in a bit of transition as it seeks out a permanent athletic director. There’s no timetable, no exact date, for when the Anteaters want to name the new A.D.

Smith could be interim for months, maybe even a year. But if she applies, it just might be hers for however long she wants.

As she contemplates her next move, Smith took time out to answer questions from The Daily Pilot on Thursday in her office.

Question: Do you feel any pressure being in your position with the year UCI had last year?

Answer: There’s a little bit of pressure. I would like to be in the interim role and be able to continue that success on behalf of the department. At this point in time without a deadline for when they are hiring the full-time athletic director, it rests with me. So there is some pressure to make sure that we maintain that success for our department.

Q: What has the transition to interim athletic director been like for you?

A: I have not served as an interim athletic director before. For me right now I haven’t had a time to let it sink in and settle yet. I am still serving as the associate A.D. and the SWA (senior woman administrator), so I have been doing both. The day tends to be filled. I haven’t had really time to weigh what that true transition is like.

Q: Do you think there are creative ways to raise funds for the athletic programs?

A: There’s always creative ways, but I think the pivotal time for us or ways to raise those funds is really putting out the product that we have to sell and that’s the student-athletes who we are in the business for and certainly the coaches who are the ambassadors. They are the ones who get that connection going between the community and the connection to the donors. [The coaches] are why [donors] would want to give their money obviously in terms of a winning successful program.

There are creative ways, but those are the two key elements that close the deal, I believe.

Q: Are you applying for the athletic director position?

A: I’m considering it strongly. I am pleased to be appointed as the interim. It gives me great comfort in terms of having confidence in the respect from athletics. I have been involved in it for as long as I can remember. And for me, athletic director is one of the top things I can do.

I still have quite a bit of time to go in my career, so for me this is a great test-drive in terms of whether or not that’s the position I want to hold. So I have been giving it really strong consideration. I have just a little bit of time before the deadline for the first review of applications to finalize my decision.

Q: About a week?

A: Yes, about a week. But trust me, the resume is completed.

Q: What’s your opinion of NCAA rules that state athletes can’t receive endorsements?

A: For me [if athletes receive endorsements] it creates too much conflict of interest, and a chance of misappropriation in terms of your representation for the university and the department versus that commercial business.

You want to have students to have the right to earn compensation for what they would be able to do, but I just think it’s too close for that conflict of interest that I would support the decision the way that it is.

Q: Will it always be a struggle for non-football NCAA Division I schools to compete or thrive financially?

A: Football programs just bring another element to a collegiate campus. It can bring more headaches. I think it takes a tide of history, tradition and success for a program to garner the support from the community, as well as having your basic core funding to have a program be successful.

And, clearly in our environment there have been some challenges [with budgeting]. But when people have a goal and a vision and work hard, success can happen. How fast that success would rise really depends on some of that outside support and that internal support, but it’s not without the ability to have it happen.

Q: So you wouldn’t describe the situation here as a struggle?

A: It’s not a struggle. We have 23 sports programs that we are trying to support. So that may be a challenge, but in terms of this institution receiving that kind of national recognition and exposure and having an ultimate success I don’t think the elimination of football limits us for what we can do.

Q: What do you think of the Anteater mascot?

A: I love the Anteater. I’ve heard the challenges with ‘how do you perceive being fierce if you don’t have some fierce mascot?’

Peter the Anteater is unique for us. It certainly has caught a lot of play and people are catching on. I think that uniqueness keeps us in the forefront. It’s unique and you can only do good things with a unique mascot. It’s not similar to anyone else.

Q: UCI had such a big year. That being said, were you surprised that Bob Chichester stepped down?

A: It was a surprise to me. I had one year in working with him. As a boss, he gave everyone the autonomy to do their job. He was very supportive. I felt like in my first year back — I had been here seven years ago — I felt the climate stayed the same.

There’s a family atmosphere. People are enthused and excited about their job and working together. So when you are having fun and success is rolling, it certainly does come as a surprise that you would step away. But his personal reasons and decisions, I’ll believe that.

Q: Did you play any sports?

A: I’ve always been an athlete. I played recreational sports. I played fast-pitch softball. I was an avid bowler. When I got into high school, I lettered in basketball and volleyball for four years.

But then when I went off to college, I ended up having to work. I was not heavily recruited in terms of my talent, but I still love sports. It’s in my blood.

So I decided to work for the athletic department and I ended up working for them for four years at New Mexico State.

That really began my career.

STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or at steve.virgen@latimes.com.