National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

March 24, 1997

New funding plan proposed regarding outside researchers

The NCAA Research Committee, meeting February 6-7 in Santa Barbara, California, has crafted a new plan for funding external researchers who are doing work for the Association.

The committee hopes that the new policies will speed up funding and provide for better service to other NCAA committees that are looking for answers to important questions.

"Under our current guidelines, there is a two-year lag between the time a committee recommends that a study be done and the dispersal of funds needed to commence the study," said Ursula R. Walsh, NCAA director of research. "Most committees would like data related to these issues much more rapidly than that process allows."

The committee is recommending that the following four-step protocol be adopted: (1) Committee requests will be taken at any time during the year; (2) a subcommittee of the Research Committee will suggest possible researchers (this list will include researchers who are suggested by the recommending committee); (3) national office staff will contact the researchers, determine their interest and ask for a proposal; and (4) the Research Committee subcommittee (with the help of consultants, if necessary) will rank the proposals and submit them to the requesting committee for selection of the researcher.

The committee is also recommending use of the NCAA World Wide Web site to advertise research opportunities, and that a list of interested researchers or research centers be constructed to receive all requests for proposals that are created by the Association.

Other highlights

Research Committee
February 6-7/Santa Barbara, California

  • Recommended changes in the minimum representation requirements for the committee. The recommendations are that there be at least: (1) three athletics administrators; (2) three faculty athletics representatives with appropriate research experience; (3) four representatives from Division I and two each from Divisions II and III; and (4) three men and three women.

  • Reviewed several reports analyzing data collected by the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. These reports were presented by John J. McArdle, an NCAA research consultant from the University of Virginia. The committee recommended that the reports be printed and distributed as soon as possible.

  • Reviewed a study of the drug-use patterns of student-athletes that had been conducted by NCAA research staff.

  • Approved a request for research funding from the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport. These funds will be used for research on anterior cruciate ligament injuries, creatine use among student-athletes and overuse injuries.

  • Reviewed the new form that will be used to collect data under the guidelines of the federal Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act. Committee members believe the form to be much more user-friendly than before. It was noted that the new form will be used to collect data that had been collected under the NCAA revenues and expenses study. Combining those data with gender-equity data should reduce the reporting burden on member institutions.