NCAA officials appeared before the reconvened Knight Commission August 28 in Washington, D.C., to tout the Association's progress in the 10 years since the original commission's report and to express a willingness to listen to what the sequel group suggests to address lingering concerns in intercollegiate athletics.

The new commission, composed of 20 of the original members who assembled in 1990 as well as eight new members, has gathered again to gauge the performance of intercollegiate athletics over the last decade and to deliberate over additional concerns such as the escalating costs involved with athletics facilities and coaches' salaries.

NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey, who is a member of the new commission, headed a panel of Association leaders that testified before the group.

"There's a sense -- primarily in the media -- that the fact the commission has reconvened somehow suggests the NCAA has failed to adequately address the issues the original group identified years ago, but I reject that notion," Dempsey said. "On the contrary, the Association's use of presidential control has been effective in improving academic and fiscal integrity and independent certification of intercollegiate athletics programs. I think the commission realizes that, and I think the group's conclusion will bear that out.

"Having said that, the Association welcomes any suggestions the new commission may have to address additional concerns. The NCAA shares those concerns. We know there are more challenges ahead."

Dempsey testified on behalf of the NCAA along with Graham B. Spanier, president at Pennsylvania State University; R. Gerald Turner, president at Southern Methodist University; Kevin C. Lennon, NCAA vice-president for membership services; and James L. Isch, NCAA vice-president for finance and information services.

Dempsey spoke to the NCAA strategic plan as it relates to the commission's concerns. Spanier addressed the issue of presidential control, Turner addressed athletics certification, and Lennon and Isch addressed academic and financial integrity, respectively.

The meeting was the first for the newly formed commission and was staged as a fact-finding mission more than a gathering to determine immediate solutions. The commission plans to conduct at least three more meetings in October, November and January. Dempsey said NCAA leaders would be available to provide further testimony if necessary.

"The commission acknowledged that there had been positive improvement during the last decade with regard to the 'one-plus-three' model," Dempsey said. "The group heard our report that the NCAA had established presidential control in its governance structure, that academic performance for most students has improved during the last 10 years, and that the NCAA had established a viable and effective athletics certification program."

Dempsey presented an "NCAA scorecard" that outlined the Association's efforts in each area of concern identified by the original Knight Commission's report in 1991. In his presentation, Dempsey highlighted the NCAA's new governance structure implemented in 1997 that is founded on presidential authority, the Association's strengthening of initial-eligibility requirements and improved graduation rates for student-athletes, and the completion of the first cycle of athletics certification for all Division I schools.

"I'm proud of the reform initiatives the NCAA has implemented since the commission last met," Dempsey told the commission. "We've fundamentally changed our system of governance in a way that makes presidents directly responsible for the administration of college athletics, we've changed eligibility standards to produce higher graduation rates, and we've established a process for self-examination and outside review of the athletics program at every Division I institution.

"Our record is a good one."

Still work to be done

The scorecard also identifies future challenges in those areas, including what Dempsey has referred to as the ever-increasing "arms race" in intercollegiate athletics and a growing tendency for decision-makers in college athletics to place winning over the goals of higher education.

"Some of the challenges still out there include escalating costs in intercollegiate athletics, the overcommercialization of athletics and various problems in 'big-time' sports such as men's basketball and football," Dempsey said. "There's also a concern about the level of involvement that institutions' trustees have in the decision-making process."

Lennon, who has been intricately involved with the Association's development and monitoring of academic standards, said the commission is another chance for the NCAA to receive input from a valuable -- and knowledgeable -- constituent. He pointed to the Association's reliance upon basketball constituents in recent years as an example of a collaborative effort to work through issues in that sport. The Association two years ago launched a working group that heard from several outside agencies to help produce a reform package for college basketball, and currently has established a Basketball Issues Committee with an immediate charge to work with other entities to develop an alternative summer recruiting calendar for Division I men's basketball.

"The NCAA truly is a collaborative organization," Lennon said. "Our members not only work collectively to identify principles and rules by which they want to be governed, but also demonstrate a willingness to listen to outside agencies, such as the high-school community, professional sports governing bodies and other amateur sports organizations. Certainly then, it fits that we would want to hear from the Knight Commission members, especially given their passion, their history and their knowledge of the issues in intercollegiate athletics.

"It fits with who we are -- we want to listen."

Part of Dempsey's report to the commission emphasized the NCAA Executive Committee's recently developed priorities for the future that dovetail with the issues the commission will be studying. Among those priorities are developing student-athletes as leaders in intercollegiate athletics, reinforcing academic and fiscal integrity, and highlighting the capacity of college sports, in collaboration with campus and community leaders nationwide, to foster lifelong learning and health.

The Executive Committee developed those goals and objectives in October 1999 and emphasized that any new budget allocations for the future be tied to them.

"We'd welcome all that the Knight Commission can do to enhance and support those priorities," Dempsey said.

Dempsey also indicated to the commission that he supported a comprehensive review of football issues, similar to the study the NCAA conducted in basketball. Such a study has been recommended by the NCAA's Division I Football Issues Committee, and that recommendation will appear before the Championships/Competition Cabinet at its meeting later this month.

'Scorecard' available

The "NCAA scorecard" on Knight Commission issues is available online. The publication, "2000 Review of Principles Identified by the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics," can be found at www.ncaa.org in the membership section. The document identifies NCAA initiatives over the past decade that have dealt with issues identified by the commission, as well as challenges that lie ahead in those areas. For additional information about the scorecard, contact the membership services group at the NCAA national office.

Knight Commission members

Returning members of the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics

William C. Friday, president emeritus, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (co-chair)

Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, president emeritus, University of Notre Dame (co-chair)

Creed C. Black, former president and CEO, Knight Foundation

Douglas S. Dibbert, former president, General Alumni Association,

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

John A. DiBiaggio, president, Tufts University

Thomas K. Hearn, president, Wake Forest University

J. Lloyd Huck, former chairman of the board, Pennsylvania State University

Bryce Jordan, president emeritus, Pennsylvania State University

Richard W. Kazmaier, president, Kazmaier Associates

Donald Keough, past president, Coca-Cola Co.

Martin A. Massengale, president emeritus, University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Thomas McMillen, former U.S. Congressman, chair, WebHealthy

Chase N. Peterson, president emeritus, University of Utah

Jane C. Pfieffer, former chair, National Broadcasting Co. (NBC)

Richard D. Schultz, former executive director, NCAA

R. Gerald Turner, president, Southern Methodist University

LeRoy T. Walker, former president, U.S. Olympic Committee

James J. Whalen, president emeritus, Ithaca College

Clifton R. Wharton Jr., former chair and CEO, TIAA-CREF

Charles E. Young, interim president, University of Florida

New members of the Knight FoundationCommission on Intercollegiate Athletics

Michael Adams, president, University of Georgia

Hodding Carter III, president and CEO, Knight Foundation

Carol A. Cartwright, president, Kent State University

Mary Sue Coleman, president, University of Iowa

Cedric W. Dempsey, president, NCAA

Adam Herbert, chancellor, State University System of Florida

Stan Ikenberry, president, American Council on Education

Tom Ingram, president, Association of Governing Boards