Inside Higher Ed published an article about how the NCAA’s benchmark for measuring the academic success of athletic teams, the Academic Progress Rate (APR), is weaker than originally intended when correlated to recent graduation rates. The NCAA uses the APR as a tool for each Division I athletic team to account for progress toward graduation,…
On July 3, the Birmingham News quoted former U.S. Representative Tom McMillen, a former college basketball star and an NBA veteran, in response to the Knight Commission recommendations to restore balance between academic and athletic spending among universities. The News reported the Knight Comimssion findings in Restoring the Balance: Dollars, Values, and the Future of…
“Restoring the Balance: Dollars, Values, and the Future of College Sports” Reveals Huge Disparities between Spending on Athletics and Academics Washington-(June 17, 2010) — Following an 18- month study of college sports finances, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics released today a report that calls for financial reforms in college sports. It includes three principles…
On June 12, the Minneapolis Star Tribune published an article noting the timely impact of the upcoming Knight Commission report about the finances of college sports, particularly in relation to the recent decision by instituions to jump from one conference to the next. The commentary, from Rachel Blount, stated: “Following the conference expansion saga has…
Jon LeCrone, commisioner of the Horizon League, responded to a recent op-ed from Dr. Karen Weaver about the impact of institutions from major NCAA Division I institutions choosing new athletic conference affiliations. Her response, printed in the Indianapolis Star, is below: “In her guest column published in The Star on Tuesday, Dr. Karen Weaver opines…
Karen Weaver provided commentary to the Orlando Sentinel on the potential economic impact of major college conference realignment to insitutions without access to significant streams of revenue. Her comments, published on June 7, are printed below: “Fans and observers of big-time college sports have been talking for almost 20 years about the possibility of the…
Inside Higher Ed published an article about a resolution approved by the Faculty Senate at Ohio University for the administration to reduce the amount of money from the institution’s operating budget used to subsidize its intercollegiate athletics program, arguing that the program’s “unsustainable expenditures” jeopardize the university’s ability to “prioritize academics. The report noted that…
While escalating salaries for head football and basketball coaches get much of the attention, compensation for assistant coaches is also on the meteoric rise. On May 19, USA Today reported the continued escalation of assistant football coaching salaries at major institutions, particularly those which compete in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). At the University of Tennessee,…
College athletic teams at many of the institutions in the state of California’s higher education system are being eliminated or are proposed to be cut, according to a recent report published by The Sacramento Bee. After years of growth in the number of teams schools offer and the amount they spend on athletics, public universities…
Bloomberg News reported that the University of Texas (UT) is profiting from a decision to renovate its football stadium four years ago instead of investing in securities. According to UT Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds, the school’s annual debt payment from the football stadium construction is about $14 million, while revenue from the renovation is about…