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Sam Khan Jr., ESPN Staff Writer 9y

AD Mike Alden: 'Time for a change'

Missouri Tigers, Missouri Tigers, Missouri Tigers

Missouri athletic director Mike Alden announced Thursday that he will step down from his post effective Aug. 31.

Alden, the Tigers' athletic director since 1998, said in a letter to Missouri fans that it is "time for a change" and that he'll take a position as an instructor in Missouri's College of Education, where he will participate in the Positive Coaching program and higher education leadership courses.

"After several months of contemplation, I have decided that it is time for a change, both for me and for the University that I so dearly love," Alden said in the letter, released by the school. "I have informed Chancellor [R. Bowen] Loftin of my decision to step down as the Director of Athletics effective August 31, 2015."

Alden's tenure is the second longest of a Missouri athletic director to only Don Faurot (27 years). He oversaw Missouri's transition from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference in 2012 where the Tigers have found success in football, winning two SEC East Division titles in three years. Missouri's Faurot Field recently underwent a $45.5 million expansion of the stadium's east side, which debuted at the start of the 2014 season, and the school plans to build a new football complex at the south end of the stadium which will include new football offices, a weight room, training room and new locker room.

The athletic department's operating budget grew from $13.7 million at the time of his arrival to $85 million currently. More than $265 million in private donations to the athletic department occurred under Alden's watch. He was recently inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and the Tigers have won at least one conference championship in seven different sports during his time as athletic director, including football, men's basketball and baseball.

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