The Chronicle of Higher Education investigated the amount of fundraising for athletic endowments at the nation’s largest higher education institutions and raised the issue of priorities in relation to academic fundraising in the current economic downturn. The report stated that last year, 54 of the biggest sports programs brought in a total of $1.1-billion in…
As reported by Inside Higher Ed, at its annual convention last week, the NCAA revised its definition of “prospective student-athlete” solely for men’s basketball to include students in the seventh grade. The impact of the legislation will ensure basketball coaches can no longer work at camps at which seventh and eighth graders play; institutions are…
NCAA News Release The NCAA announces a new initiative aimed at addressing negative fan behavior and encouraging student-athletes and coaches to create a culture of sportsmanship and respect. The initiative, titled “Respect” and which will begin at this week’s NCAA Convention in Washington D.C., was spurred by the commitments of over 250 Division II institutions…
Insider Higher Ed published a commentary today, written by Tom Palaima and Nathan Tublitz, members of the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics. Palaima and Tublitz call on the incoming Obama administration to close loopholes that they believe have “perverted our higher educational priorities” resulting in greater investment in college sports entertainment rather than academic resources. They…
The Washington Post published an article noting the top 10 athletic programs in total spending, cost per athlete, the greatest football revenues, and the top 50 schools by athletic revenues. The paper analyzed equity in athletics disclosure forms from 2007, which NCAA member institutions are required to file annually with the U.S. Department of Education.…
Bloomberg News published a story featuring the salaries of the atheltic directors for nearly all the major NCAA schools in Division I-Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), with Jeremy Foley of the University of Florida ranked as the highest-paid athletic director. According to contracts obtained by Blooomberg through open-records requests, Foley earns a guaranteed salary of $965,000,…
University of Oregon biology professor Nathan Tublitz, who is also the co-chair of the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics, offered a commentary in the Eugene Register-Guard on the recent decision the the University administration to reschedule commencement in 2010 to accommodate hosting the NCAA track and field championships. Tublitz explains his opinion in the broader perspective…
The NCAA News The South Carolina athletics department will give $15 million over the next 15 years to the university, earmarked primarily for need-based student scholarships. Announced by Athletics Director Eric Hyman and President Harris Pastides, the agreement will help alleviate severe budget cuts due to reductions in state budget allocations for higher education. The…
A recent investigation by the Atlanta Journal Constitution of major college football teams found significantly lower average SAT score for college athletes than the remainder of an institution’s undergraduate student body. The disparity was more significant for male athletes, with the largest average gap between the student body and football players (220 points), and the…
A report published by New America Foundation noted the low graduation rates of many football teams listed in the 2008 final regular season Bowl Championship Series (BCS) rankings. The Foundation’s “Higher Ed Watch” noted that the two football teams competing in the national championship, the University of Florida and the University of Oklahoma, are not…