NEW YORK -- More than 450 women involved in collegiate athletics spent four days in New York City learning from each other, honoring peers and celebrating the organization's 25th anniversary at the National Association for Women Collegiate Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) Fall Forum.

The theme of the four-day event, held October 9 through 12, was "Remembering the Past, Celebrating the Present and Embracing the Future." The theme was reflected in the forum's official opening session, which featured members reciting highlights of the history of women in sport and urging strength in the future, accented by songs designed to inspire and commemorate.

The production set the tone for the rest of the forum, which included presentations by Kathleen DeBoer, former fund-raising director at the University of Kentucky, and Myles Brand, NCAA president. Panels of women and some men shared their insights on building a career and getting involved in every level of athletics administration.

DeBoer, now the director of general services for the Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky, Urban County Government and author of many books about gender and athletics, spoke about the relationship between gender and competition.

DeBoer said that when she was a student-athlete at Michigan State University, she and other female athletes had to fight to be treated equally with their male counterparts.

"We fought from a position of being the same, but sameness didn't feel like it was true," she said. "There are differences between men and women."

The differences mean coaches and administrators have to approach men and women differently in competitive situations.

Men, she said, count themselves as successful when they are alone at the top. Conversely, women believe they have achieved success when they are at the center of relationships. Men are motivated by challenges to their strength and virility, she said, while women are inspired by contributing to a team effort. And, she said, guilt is a great motivator of women.

However, with all the differences she has uncovered, DeBoer said they are gender-related, not gender-specific.

"We can all choose how we will behave," she said.

Protecting the collegiate model

NCAA President Brand began his remarks to forum participants by noting that the NCAA and NACWAA are working together to reconstruct the history of women in college sports, particularly the first NCAA championships for women.

But the primary message Brand delivered was that the future of collegiate athletics, and that of women in collegiate athletics, is threatened by a lack of fiscal responsibility, perpetuated by a national media that does not understand the concept of amateurism.

"If there are not concrete solutions brought forth within a reasonable time frame, financial pressures will reshape college sports in ways that will threaten the integrity of the college game and distort the college model beyond recognition," Brand said.

Brand said the problem is spiraling out of control -- that financial success breeds a need for more financial success to recruit the best players and coaches and build the best facilities. That can have a negative impact on women's sports, when more money is funneled into high-profile sports such as football and men's basketball, he said.

Brand added that the path to fiscal responsibility in collegiate athletics lies within each individual institution. Presidential leadership is critical, he said, as is changing the belief that spending equals winning. Another necessary element for change is including the athletics director and athletics department staff in the rest of the institutional community and expecting them to be accountable, similar to other departments within the institution.

Sports are a part of higher education because they contribute to the mission of the university, Brand said.

"The primary benefactors are the student-athletes who participate and acquire characteristics such as self-discipline, self-sacrifice, teamwork, perseverance and pursuit of excellence," Brand said. "But let's not forget that the universities and their constituents are beneficiaries as well. Universities benefit from the exposure athletics brings, and athletics is a source of pride for the extended community."

In response to a question from University of Denver Athletics Director Dianne Murphy, Brand said he sees a group of presidents banding together to begin the push for fiscal responsibility, similar to the task force the Division I Board of Directors appointed in 2002 to spearhead academic reform.

Professional growth

In addition to speakers, the Fall Forum also featured panels before small groups that gave women an opportunity to share their stories with their peers.

In a workshop featuring Division II athletics directors, Gwen Reeves, athletics director at Fort Valley State University, said her current job was never a dream of hers until she was appointed interim athletics director in 1997 and lost the position because she was not knowledgeable or experienced enough. She spent the next five years attending seminars, workshops, conferences and committees, reading and networking, and in 2002 was appointed athletics director.

She urged other women to seize every opportunity for professional development and enjoy their work.

"You've got to love what you do," she said. "Don't give up the fight."

Mary Gardner, director of athletics at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, gave four tips for being successful as an administrator. Hiring well and keeping the staff informed are key to an administrator's own success, she said. She also recommended that athletics directors keep an open-door policy and refrain from micromanaging.

Jane Meier, athletics director at Northern Kentucky University, counseled administrators to make sure every job has a specific description and that the staff meets with candidates for open positions. She advocated developing strong relationships within the faculty and staff of the university, not just within the athletics department. Community involvement is also important, she said, and being involved in the vision for the institution.

"Act like a leader," she said. "A leader makes decisions in the best interest of the organization, not individuals."

Marketing the game

Another small-group session taught participants about marketing women's basketball, and efforts that are under way at an institution as well as at the conference and national level.

Sue Donohoe, NCAA vice-president for Division I women's basketball, introduced participants to the NCAA's online promotions kit, which includes items such as marketing plans and public relations plans. The kit can be found at www.ncaa.org/bbp/basketball_marketing/and includes other resources as well.

Mary Eiland, NCAA associate director of programs and events, also presented research about the market and demographics for fans of women's basketball.

Bernadette McGlade, commissioner of women's sports at the Atlantic Coast Conference, gave the conference view of promoting and marketing women's basketball, including the creation of "evergreen" advertisements with the tag line "She can play."

Marketing the games at the conference level is about the event, not the teams, she said, and group sales are important, especially to groups of young children who are the future fans and future student-athletes.

Murphy from Denver presented marketing and promotional ideas she had used to get people to women's basketball games at her institution, including involving the head coach and selling that coach's personality. Student-athlete involvement also is critical, she said, because one of the main attributes of women's basketball is the positive role models found among its athletes.

Murphy also urged people to use NCAA resources, and to not be afraid to explore their marketplace and use entertainment ideas from other sporting events, even professional sports.

Other panels addressed the entire group on topics such as the future of women in collegiate athletics administration, and hiring practices. Panelists included Tonia Walker, athletics director at Winston-Salem State University; Linda Tealer, associate athletics director at the University of Florida; Cary Groth, athletics director at the University of Nevada, Reno; Carol Cartwright, president of Kent State University; Floyd Keith, executive director of the Black Coaches Association; and Bernard Franklin, NCAA senior vice-president of governance and membership. Anucha Browne Sanders, senior vice-president of marketing and business operations for the New York Knicks, also spoke at the forum.

Award winners

NACWAA named its administrators of the year at the forum. They are: Chris Plonsky, Division I, women's athletics director and director of men's and women's athletics-external services, University of Texas at Austin and past chair of the Division I Management Council; Sondra Norrell-Thomas, Division I-AA, athletics director, Howard University; Peggy Bradley-Doppes, Division I-AAA, athletics director, University of North Carolina, Wilmington; Jane Meier, Division II, athletics director, Northern Kentucky University; and Connee Zotos, Division III, athletics director, Drew University. Cynthia Nagai, director of special events and community relations at Denver, won the Nell Jackson Award.

The NACWAA membership also elected a new president, Jean Lenti Ponsetto, athletics director at DePaul University, and new board members Chris Hoyles, assistant commissioner for the Pacific-10 Conference; Roxanne Levenson, assistant athletics director at Pepperdine University; and Tina Cheatham, associate commissioner for the Southland Conference.

NACWAA also honored the late Althea Gibson at its closing luncheon. The award was accepted by Zina Garrison, former world champion tennis player, who named Gibson among her mentors and role models.