FELLOWS PROGRAM

Application due October 15 for NCAA fellows program

Applications currently are being accepted for participation in the NCAA Fellows Leadership Development Program.

The NCAA Presidents Commission and Council endorsed the fellows program in 1994 to enhance the employment and leadership opportunities for minorities and women at the senior management level of intercollegiate athletics administration.

The purpose of the program is to identify minorities and women who aspire to hold positions such as athletics director, conference commissioner and senior woman administrator and to involve them in various senior management-level administrative experiences. The 18-month program provides academic and practical work experiences that will enable individuals to develop their talents and abilities and to mesh those skills with their aspirations.

Application materials are available from the national office or via www.ncaa.org. The application deadline is October 15.

Staff contact: Rochelle M. Collins.

SPORTSMANSHIP FORMS

Access to nomination forms extended to NCAA Online

Forms for submitting nominations for the 2000 NCAA Sportsperson of the Year have been added to NCAA Online in an effort to generate more nominees. Nomination forms were mailed to athletics directors, senior woman administrators and sports information directors last spring encouraging each Division I, II, and III member institution to nominate a male and female if it believed they had exhibited an outstanding act of sportsmanship or ethical behavior.

Unfortunately, the Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct received very few nominations and became concerned that the adjusted mailing was not heeded on campus. As a result, the committee has chosen to discontinue the annual mailing process and place a copy of the current nomination form on the NCAA Web site (www.ncaa.org) in the "Awards" section. This will allow member institutions to access the form 24 hours a day and anytime during the year. The 1999-00 form, as well as the new form for 2000-01, are available online. The committee, while recognizing that not all schools will have a nominee each year, was concerned that so few schools took the time to single out athletes for such an honor, and encourages athletics personnel to be looking for those random acts of sportsmanship that make NCAA athletics special. Nomination forms should be sent to Ron Stratten or Terrie Hall at the NCAA national office.

Staff contact: Ron Stratten.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

Coaches authorize work stoppage in Pennsylvania labor dispute

The union representing about 350 non-faculty coaches who work for the 14 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference schools and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education have been unable to achieve a collective bargaining agreement after 13 months of negotiations.

As a result, the coaches recently voted overwhelmingly to authorize the union's leadership to call a strike if no agreement is reached.

No date for a potential work stoppage has been established.

The vote authorizing the executive council of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties to call a strike was approved by 91 percent of the 306 coaches who voted.

GENDER EQUITY

Membership has until October 30 to submit EADA information

The deadline is approaching for NCAA member institutions to submit athletics gender-equity data to the federal government.

Amendments adopted in 1998 to the federal Higher Education Act require all coeducational postsecondary institutions that receive federal funds and have athletics programs to report gender-specific data on their athletics programs to the federal government annually by October 30.

A Web-based system has been implemented by the U.S. Department of Education to collect the data.

Staff contact: Doris Dixon.

FINANCES

NCAA, Kansas treasurer disagree in unclaimed property matter

The NCAA disagrees with a claim by the Kansas state treasurer about the amount of money the Association owes in a dispute over compliance with the state's unclaimed property law.

In late September, the Association sent a check for $370,225 to the state of Kansas, which is the amount the NCAA believes it owes to comply with the law. Kansas State Treasurer Tim Shallenburger claims the NCAA owes about $700,000 for unclaimed Men's Final Four ticket refunds from 1985 through 1995.

Shallenburger has indicated that the state may pursue the matter in court.

Staff contact: Elsa Kircher Cole.