FARGO, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota athletic director Brian Faison said Tuesday he is retiring at the end of December after guiding the program through the transition to NCAA Division I athletics and the decision to drop the Fighting Sioux nickname after criticism that it was insensitive to American Indians. Faison, who has been at the helm since 2008, said he has been thinking about retiring for about a year and the timing is right for his family and for his successor, who he said will have time to settle in before next season. "Brian convinced me that it was time to retire," UND President Mark Kennedy said during a news conference in Grand Forks.