The NCAA News - Digest

September 30, 1996

• GRAD-RATE REPORTING -- NCAA, Education Department agree on modifications
• AWARDS -- NCAA Woman of the Year to be announced October 6
• DRUG-USE STUDY -- Faculty reps to administer survey by October 11

GRAD-RATE REPORTING

NCAA, Education Department agree on modifications

The NCAA and the U.S. Department of Education worked out final details of federal graduation-rates reporting at a September 18 meeting in Washington, D.C.

Under the agreement, the Education Depart-ment will distribute data-collection forms, developed in consultation with the NCAA, to all colleges and universities. Completed forms will be sent by NCAA member institutions simultaneously to the NCAA and the Education Depart-ment. Upon receiving the data, the NCAA will edit, compile and publish the data to satisfy requirements of the Student Right-to-Know Act.

Minor modifications will be made to the reporting forms to accommodate NCAA past practices.

The NCAA has been collecting and reporting full-year graduation rates for the past six years.

Staff contacts: Doris A. Dixon and Todd A. Petr.

AWARDS

NCAA Woman of the Year to ba announced October 6

The NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced October 6 in Kansas City, Missouri. The winner will be selected from among 10 finalists who were chosen earlier this month.

ESPN and ABC broadcaster Robin Roberts will serve as mistress of ceremonies for the second consecutive year. Award presenters will include ABC broadcaster Roger Twibell; NCAA Executive Director Cedric W. Dempsey; 1994 NCAA Woman of the Year Tanya Hughes Jones; and Patty Viverito, Gateway Football Conference commissioner.

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Nominations for fall sports candidates for the 1997 NCAA honors program must be received at the national office by November 1.

Nomination folders were mailed September 25 to athletics directors, faculty athletics representatives and sports information directors at all member institutions. The folders contain information forms for the 1997 Today's Top VIII and the Award of Valor. Those awards, along with the Theodore Roosevelt Award and the Silver Anniversary Awards, will be presented during the annual honors dinner January 12, 1997, at the NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.

Staff contacts: James A. Marchiony (honors program) and Kathryn M. Reith (Woman of the Year program)..

DRUG-USE STUDY

Faculty reps to administer survey by October 11

Faculty athletics representatives at all member institutions are reminded that they have until October 11 to administer survey forms for the Association's periodic research project on drug use among student-athletes.

The Faculty Athletics Representatives Associa- tion has volunteered to assist in gathering data because of its interest in student-athlete welfare issues. Each faculty representative has been assigned one or more teams at his or her institution and is responsible for making certain that all members of the assigned teams complete the questionnaire. The purpose of the study is to note any changes in the pattern of drug use by student-athletes and to help direct drug-prevention efforts. Results are expected to be available by May 1997.

Staff contact: Frank D. Uryasz.