Releases and Statements

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Research Grants Call for Proposals: Shaping Policy and Practice in Intercollegiate Athletics for the Benefit of Students and Institutions

Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics Announces Six Grants to Advance Policy and Best Practices WASHINGTON (October 26, 2011)—The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics announced the results of a competitive grants program, “Shaping policy and practice in intercollegiate athletics for the benefit of students and institutions.” The Commission received 38 applications from researchers and organizations throughout…

U.S. Secretary of Education Backs Knight Commission’s Call for Changing NCAA Basketball Tournament Eligibility Standards and Financial Rewards

New analysis shows basketball teams not meeting minimal academic benchmarks have earned nearly $179 million* for NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament success Highlights: 10 of 68 men’s basketball teams that competed in the 2011 “March Madness” would be ineligible under the benchmark recommended by the Knight Commission and backed by Secretary Duncan. Of the $409 million…

AGB Board of Directors Endorses Knight Commission Report

The Board of Directors of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) voted at its board meeting November 12 to endorse the recent report issued by the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, Restoring the Balance: Dollars, Values, and the Future of College Sports. The report advocates strengthening intercollegiate athletics in three ways,…

Changing the Game

In the September/October issue of Trusteeship, just in time for football season, read about how rising athletic expenses are becoming a destabilizing force for many institutions. William E. “Brit” Kirwan and R. Gerald Turner show you how the game is changing: “The trends do not look good. Last year, the 10 public FBS institutions with…

College Sports Spending out of Whack

This opinion by Knight Commission co-chairs William E. “Brit” Kirwan and R. Gerald Turner was published in the September 17, 2010 edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “The college sports offseason was filled with news of record-breaking television revenues, lucrative multibillion-dollar television contracts and a reshuffling of athletic conference affiliations designed, in part, to maximize television…

Summary of Media Coverage of Restoring the Balance

Media from across the nation published articles on the financial state of college athletics following the June 17 release of the Knight Commission report, Restoring the Balance: Dollars, Values, and the Future of College Sports. Below are brief summaries of articles published by several media outlets. A video from WUSA TV-9 in Washington DC, with…

Editorials Support Knight Commission’s Recommendations for Spending on College Sports

Several newspapers across the country have published editorials about the concerns over the finances of college sports in response to the Knight Commission’s release on June 17 of Restoring the Balance: Dollars, Values, and the Future of College Sports. These include The Detroit News, Salt Lake Tribune, The Gainesville Sun, Orlando Sentinel, Observer-Reporter, and The…

Knight Commission Calls for College Sports Reform, Recommends Public Transparency of Finances and New Financial Incentives

“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…

Knight Commission to Release Financial Reform Recommendations for College Sports

Commission releases its third major report in 20-year history, noting pivotal moment in curbing unsustainable growth in athletics spending Who: Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics Co-Chairmen William E. “Brit” Kirwan, Chancellor, University System of Maryland, and R. Gerald Turner, President, Southern Methodist University, and Commission member Carol Cartwright, President, Bowling Green State University, will be…

Knight Commission Executive Director Amy Perko Responds to a USA Today News Report

“The Knight Commission believes that the issue of college sports finances is serious and systemic, requires collaborative solutions, and cannot be solved by one university president alone. The escalation in coaches’ salaries nationally has made it difficult for any one university to opt out. The Commission owes its effectiveness to the involvement of higher education…