Key findings from Faculty Perceptions on Intercollegiate Athletics survey to be discussed
EVENT: The Knight Commission will host a Faculty Summit on Intercollegiate Athletics to discuss what college faculty members really think about college sports and whether they are adequately engaged with issues affecting academics and athletics. The event is free and open to the public.
Key findings of a national survey of faculty at NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision institutions will be discussed. The complete agenda is below.
WHEN: Monday, Oct. 15, 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. EST
Reporters will have a chance to talk with panelists and Knight Commission members during breaks or at the conclusion of the final session.
WHERE: National Press Club Ballroom
529 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.
RSVP: To attend or watch the free webcast reply to:
knightcommissionsummit@widmeyer.com
HOTEL: A group rate is available at the Marriott Key Bridge for Oct. 14. In order to receive the group discount rate, reservations must be made by Sept. 21. Reservations can be made directly with Marriott at 1-800-676-2959. Identify the name of event as Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics to receive the group rate of $159.
More than a third of faculty members are unfamiliar with many policies and practices pertaining to athletics, the financial underpinnings of athletics on campus, or concerns raised by national faculty athletics reform groups. This is the result of a national survey of faculty at institutions in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A). Those who say they are informed about such issues are divided among those who are satisfied with the conduct of intercollegiate athletics on their campus and those who are not. However, professors generally share the same beliefs about several key issues involving academics, governance and finances:
• Athletics decisions on campus are being driven by an entertainment industry. Faculty are generally dissatisfied with their current campus athletics governance roles, although they are more satisfied than not with their president’s oversight of athletics.
• Coaches are overpaid and athletics financial needs are prioritized over academic needs. However, half of those surveyed also think athletics success results in financial gains to campus initiatives outside of athletics.
• Scholarships to basketball and football athletes do not fairly compensate them for their services. However, faculty are satisfied with the practice of awarding scholarships based on athletics ability.
• With the exception of football and basketball players, athletes perform as well academically as non-athletes despite having less discretionary time as a result of their participation.
The summit will feature discussion of these and other research findings as well as separate conversations about the role of faculty members in maintaining a healthy relationship between academics and athletics on campus. An executive summary of the research and the complete research report will be available on www.knightcommission.org on Oct. 8.
Summit Agenda
Oct. 15, 2007 – Ballroom, National Press Club, 529 14th Street, Washington, D.C.
Note: The general sessions from 8:30 -10:30 a.m. and from 1:00 -2:30 p.m. will be accessible via live webcast on www.knightcommission.org. Please register for this free webcast at knightcommissionsummit@widmeyer.com. Breakout sessions will be available via podcasts after the event.
8:30 – 9:15 a.m. Opening Session/Highlights of survey findings from Faculty Perceptions of Intercollegiate Athletics (NPC Ballroom). (NPC Ballroom)
Janet H. Lawrence, Associate Professor, University of Michigan School of Education; Project Director for Faculty Perceptions of Intercollegiate Athletics Survey
9:15 – 10:30 a.m. General Session: In 2007, what do faculty members really think about college sports, and why are—or aren’t—they engaged with issues affecting academics and athletics? (NPC Ballroom)
Using the research findings as a starting point, this panel will discuss the divides that separate faculty members from college athletics programs—both coaches and players. Topics will include how faculty members perceive athletes and the athletics enterprise, the differences among institutions that affect faculty attitudes and engagement, the extent to which faculty members participate in governance of athletics programs on their own campuses, and how they ensure integrity in courses and majors.
Panelists
• Scott Adler, Associate Professor, Political Science, University of Colorado
• Kevin Blackstone, sports journalist
• Eddie Comeaux, lecturer, Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles
• Malcolm Moran, Knight Chair for Sports and Society, Pennsylvania State University
• Virginia Shepherd, Professor, Vanderbilt University and Co-Chair, Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics
• Paul Haagen, Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Sports Law and Policy, Duke University School of Law; former chair, Duke University Academic Council
Moderators: Gerald Turner, President, Southern Methodist University, and Jerry Porras, Professor Emeritus, Stanford University
10:45 – 12:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions.
Session I: Faculty Governance Roles (NPC Ballroom)
Panelists
• Josephine Potuto, Faculty Athletics Representative and Professor, University of Nebraska College of Law
• Susanna Rinehart, Associate Professor of Theatre Arts and Assistant Provost for Liberal Education and University Studies, Virginia Tech
• Gary Roberts, Dean, Indiana University School of Law and Former Faculty Athletics Representative
• Virginia Shepherd, Professor of Pathology, Vanderbilt University and Co-Chair, Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics
Moderator: Carol Cartwright, President Emeritus, Kent State University
Group 2: Faculty, Academic Integrity, and Athletics (Holeman Lounge)
Panelists
• Mark Becker, Provost, University of South Carolina
• Doris Corbett, Professor and Department Chairperson for Health, Human Performance & Leisure Studies, Howard University
• Alan Hauser, President-Elect, Faculty Athletics Representative Association, and Professor of Biblical Studies, Appalachian State University
• Phil Hughes, President, N4A, and Associate Director of Athletics for Student Services, Kansas State University
• Carol Simpson Stern, Professor of Performance Studies, Northwestern University and former chair and current consultant to AAUP’s Committee on Teaching, Research and Publication
Moderator: Jack DeGioia, President, Georgetown University
Group 3: Case Study of Crises Spurring Faculty Involvement (Murrow Room)
Panelists
• Scott Adler, Associate Professor, Political Science, University of Colorado
• Paul Haagen, Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Sports Law and Policy, Duke University School of Law; former chair, Duke University’s Academic Council
• Nathan Tublitz, Professor of Biology, University of Oregon and Co-Chair, Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics
Moderator: Hodding Carter III, University Professor of Leadership and Public Policy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Lunch break.
1:00 – 2:30 p.m. General Session: What actions can faculty members take on their own campuses to ensure integrity in athletics, as well as to enhance the value of athletics in campus life? (NPC Ballroom)
Panelists:
• Mark Becker, Provost, University of South Carolina
• Josephine Potuto, Faculty Athletics Representative and Professor, University of Nebraska College of Law
• Susanna Rinehart, Associate Professor of Theatre Arts and Assistant Provost for Liberal Education and University Studies, Virginia Tech
• Gary Roberts, Dean, Indiana University School of Law and Former Faculty Athletics Representative, Tulane University
• Carol Simpson Stern, Professor of Performance Studies, Northwestern University and former chair and current consultant to AAUP’s Committee on Teaching, Research and Publication
• Nathan Tublitz, Professor of Biology, University of Oregon and Co-Chair, Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics
Moderators: Brit Kirwan, Chancellor, University System of Maryland and Anita DeFrantz, President, LA84 Foundation
2:30 – 2:45 p.m. Closing Comments (NPC Ballroom).