(AP Photo/Mel Evans)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) Saying she has already rolled up her sleeves and is ready to work, Julie Hermann took over as Rutgers' athletic director with the promise that her No. 1 job is to create an atmosphere for Scarlet Knights students to excel on and off the field.

The embattled Hermann showed up for work before most of her employees on Monday morning and started the task of leading an embarrassed athletic department back to respectability, winning back boosters and alumni and leading the university into the Big Ten Conference in 2014.

Hermann did not answer either emails or telephone calls left by The Associated Press seeking comment. She failed to stop and answer questions around 12:15 p.m. when she left in an SUV driven by Doug Kokoskie, the senior associate athletic director for facilities, events and operations. The two stopped at a couple of nearby athletic fields for quick looks.

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