Rutgers University has named Patrick Hobbs, the former dean of Seton Hall University School of Law, as its new athletic director.

Hobbs will replace Julie Hermann, who was fired Nov. 29 by university President Robert Barchi following the end of a scandal-plagued and largely unsuccessful football season.

Football coach Kyle Flood was fired shortly after Hermann's termination, and one of Hobbs' first tasks will be to lead the search for a new coach. Hobbs' appointment as athletic director is effective immediately, according to Greg Trevor, a university spokesman.