Releases and Statements

Filter category by year:

Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics Spending Database Challenge Awards

Call for Proposals The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, an initiative of the John S. & James L. Knight Foundation, announces a challenge program to support research proposals that use the Commission’s Athletic and Academic Spending Database (spendingdatabase.knightcommission.org) to investigate athletics debt, athletics debt service, or institutional financial support (e.g., student fees, institutional transfers to…

Knight Commission Announces Financial Database Workshop & Research Awards

On Thursday, November 20, 2014, Amy Perko and Scott Hirko will present a workshop on the Knight Commission’s NCAA Division I Athletic and Academic Spending Database to attendees at the Association for the Study of Higher Education annual conference in Washington, DC. The workshop will provide an opportunity to learn more about the financial database and its potential…

Knight Commission Calls for Refocused Efforts During Unprecedented Period in College Sports

[ Sessions and video with NCAA Chief Medical Officer; experts discuss potential new era of college sports relating to financial rewards and athletic opportunities ]

Amid mounting pressures on college sports, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics vowed it would intensify its efforts to promote changes that better align athletic programs with institutions’ educational missions. The Commission again emphasized its commitment to efforts that address health and safety, athletic opportunities and financial issues that are putting at risk what is known as the collegiate model.

Concerned that external forces and legal decisions threaten the future of college sports, the Commission urged that the new NCAA governance structure adopt prior Commission recommendations to act first to protect the integrity and sustainability of the collegiate model.

Knight Commission to Discuss New Approaches for the Next Era of College Sports on Sept. 8 in Washington, D.C.

New and future health and safety initiatives will be featured Who: The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, co-chaired by William E. “Brit” Kirwan, chancellor, University System of Maryland, and R. Gerald Turner, president, Southern Methodist University, will be joined by Brian Hainline, chief medical officer, NCAA; Oliver Luck, athletics director, West Virginia University; Alan Ashley,…

Colleges Can Help Without an Athletes’ Union

On March 28, the New York Times published on its opinion page the following statement by Knight Commission Executive Director Amy Perko: The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics continues to strongly promote its principle that institutions must treat college athletes as students first and foremost, not as professionals. The commission supports many of the benefits…

Knight Commission, Panelists Call for Stronger Focus on Educational Mission in College Sports

[ Sessions and video with experts on academic reforms; NCAA governance; and well-being of athletes ]

The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics heard passionate dialogue during a meeting here on a range of issues facing college sports, particularly issues of academics and well-being for college athletes. The Commission also announces latest update to its athletic and academic spending database

Knight Commission Meeting on March 17 to Discuss Major Changes Proposed for College Sports

New benefits for college athletes among the issues to be discussed Who: The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, co-chaired by William E. “Brit” Kirwan, chancellor, University System of Maryland and R. Gerald Turner, president, Southern Methodist University, will be joined by Nathan Hatch, chair, NCAA Board of Directors and president, Wake Forest University; Bob Bowlsby,…

Knight Commission Launches Groundbreaking, Interactive College Sports Spending Database

Users can examine trends as sports spending rises and academic spending remains stagnant Dec. 4, 2013 – The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics releases today its Athletic and Academic Spending Database for NCAA Division I (http://spendingdatabase.knightcommission.org/) to provide greater transparency for athletics finances and better measures to compare trends in academic and athletic spending. The…

Knight Commission Recommendations on NCAA Governance and Related Issues

CLICK HERE for this memo in PDF. MEMORANDUM To: David Berst, NCAA Vice President for Division I From: Amy Perko, Executive Director, Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics Subject: Knight Commission recommendations on NCAA governance and related issues Date: October 15, 2013 On August 6, 2013, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics sent a memorandum to…