Pat Hobbs understood why newly appointed Rutgers president Jonathan Holloway, in his introductory press conference, was asked about the debate between members of the university’s faculty and fans of the Scarlet Knights over the school’s athletics budget.

But Hobbs, the Rutgers athletics director who has received the brunt of the criticism from the school’s top faculty group, said the divide isn’t as big as others believe it to be.

“I guess I see less of a divide than a lot of people do,’’ Hobbs said. “I know there are some very vocal voices. But the vast majority of faculty who I run into understand the value of athletics to our university. They don’t necessarily get quoted, but I see them at the games. It will be obviously something that is an important part of (Holloway’s) role at the university. It’s a huge job. I think he certainly can can be very helpful in articulating the value of athletics, but we have a responsibility to him to make sure that we try to put our finances in the best position possible as we move forward.

"But that requires success on the field. We’re making the investments now, and I think he will see that and support the investments that we’ve made and support our efforts to bring more private funding to further investment.’’

Holloway, who officially succeeds Robert Barchi as Rutgers president on July 1, said he was aware of debate between faculty and athletics over budget priorities and plans to “make sure'' the athletics program is “aligned with university values.’'

”I love the fact that Rutgers is a place that has a vibrant athletics program, a ranked men’s basketball program, a great history with the women’s basketball program,’’ Holloway said. “A great football program (and) a great basketball program is the front porch of a university. ... When it’s doing well it’s wonderful and it will make my case easier as I go around the state trying to talk with people and finding things to connect over. Sports is a great connector.’’

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As Rutgers AD, Hobbs reports directly to the university president. In a wide-ranging interview with NJ Advance Media earlier this week, Hobbs said he’s looking forward to working with Holloway, a 52-year old historian specializing in African American studies who played linebacker while earning a Stanford degree in the late 1980s.

“I don't think they could've picked a better person,’’ Hobbs said. “You look at his academic accomplishments and it's a great day for all of our students at Rutgers, it's a great day for our faculty. I also think from where I sit it's an especially great day for our student athletes. Every day we speak about the value of an athletic scholarship, the access to education that it provides, and the limitless positive possibilities, and now we have a president who's the living embodiment of that opportunity.’’

That Holloway made history by becoming the first person of color to be appointed Rutgers president wasn’t lost on Hobbs, who took part in several celebrations last year to honor Paul Robeson, the third black student ever enrolled at the New Jersey university a century ago. On the gridiron, Robeson was a two-time All-American who wound up getting inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame 80 years later. He played four varsity sports (baseball, football, basketball and track) overall and earned 15 varsity letters before graduating as the valedictorian of his class.

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“I look at the history and in a year where we’ve just celebrated the 100th anniversary of Paul Robeson’s graduation, we now have our first African American president who was also a student-athlete,’’ Hobbs said. “So it’s wonderful. I think it’s a remarkable achievement. We’ve had extraordinary leadership under Dr. Barchi, who was brought in at a time when we were integrating medical schools and probably doubling the size of the university and now you know we have leadership that knows what it’s like to be successful academically and athletically at the very height of higher education.''

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Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.