ORLANDO -- NCAA President Myles Brand told members of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) their leadership can play a critical role as intercollegiate athletics enters a dynamic period in the near future.

Brand, a featured speaker on the last day of the 40th annual NACDA convention June 15-18, reminded the group of the new Academic Progress Rate (APR) standards that will help gauge whether teams on Division I campuses are meeting the mission of higher education. Brand also discussed his recent meetings with the Presidential Task Force on the Future of Division I Athletics and the College Basketball Partnership -- two more bodies that will shape the direction in which college athletics are headed.

It is a time when preventative measures are needed to protect the collegiate model of athletics, and to guard against crisis, he said.

"Our critics will have us to believe that there are problems, overwhelming problems," Brand said. "The critics are wrong. We're not in a crisis. But don't conclude that there aren't problems. We do face stress points. That's clear. Our job at the NCAA and your job as leaders on the campuses are to deal with those stress points and take something that's very good and make it better."

Brand said that student-athletes working toward and earning degrees should be the primary focus of every athletics department. He said it's not well known by the public that college athletes do better academically by most standard measures of graduation rates compared to the general student body. He said that isn't a trivial fact, considering that it involves hundreds of thousands of students on campuses around the nation.

Still, there is room for improvement.

One demographic where Brand would like to see improvement is among African-American males -- although, according to Brand, African-American men's basketball student-athletes graduate at a rate six points higher than the general student body.

"It tells you that the athletics departments are working hard to be supportive of their student-athletes," Brand said. "It does say that we have some room for improvement. Even if we're doing better, we might not be doing as well as we can. We began to look at these issues a number of years ago and developed some new measures."

This is where the new APR standards enter the picture.

The APR will take into account some factors that federally mandated graduation rates don't, such as student-athletes who transfer to and from different institutions.

While the APR imposes minimum expectations, it doesn't mean the system won't be refined if it becomes apparent that some tweaking should be done.

Responding to questions, Brand addressed factoring in graduation rates of student-athletes after they have exhausted their eligibility. Tim Curley, athletics director at Pennsylvania State University and NACDA's newly selected president, said he believes it is a good measure by which a coach and institution can be judged.

Brand would like to see some kind of credit issued in such instances.

"Persistence and attention to academic eligibility are the key notions," Brand said. "We could make it a lot more complicated even than it is. We wouldn't get any more accurate readings. We have a good sense, but I don't want to suggest we got it exactly right. There will be some refinements that will be necessary. We're going to work hard over the summer and into next year."

He added that work continues to enact incentives for academic performance. Brand noted that an APR appeals process will also be available.

NACDA members were told to expect the same approach the Association has taken recently in matters involving waivers, eligibility questions and reinstatement decisions. This means looking at an appeal on a case-by-case basis and giving the student-athlete the benefit of the doubt whenever possible.

Brand explained the reasoning behind the formation of the College Basketball Partnership (CBP) and the Presidential Task Force on the Future of Division I Athletics.

Both groups consist of people who normally can't sit and talk about important issues due to schedules or logistics.

The CBP is made up of leading coaches, athletics directors, NCAA staff members, and representatives of broadcast and print media and a shoe company (Nike). All members have a vested interest in college basketball.

"We're building on strength and things are going right, but there is always a danger of being complacent," Brand said. "Rather than being complacent, you want to take advantage of that momentum and tell the story of college basketball. In addition to telling the story, we need to build a foundation of values over which we can then talk about things such as rules changes and eligibility issues."

The Presidential Task Force has four subcommittees that are focusing implications of academic values and standards, fiscal responsibility, leadership of internal and external constituencies and student-athlete well-being.

"We are moving forward in college sports in an incredibly interesting way," Brand said. "College sports, the values it represents and the connection between education and individual growth and the values it teaches around the entire campus are the most important aspects that we have to offer. It's bigger than us. It's beyond winning the conference championship. It's about what happens to student-athletes in the future."

In other highlights from the NACDA Convention, Tim Russert, the managing editor and moderator for NBC's "Meet the Press," was the keynote speaker for the gathering.

Russert's speech centered on American youths being the most important asset of the country and the leadership role NACDA members have in guiding student-athletes.

"You are on the front line," Russert said. "You're dealing with young people from all different areas. They are coming from all levels of income, opportunity and geographic locations in our country. The societal effect is enormous. Every child needs an adult in his or her life. ...

"They have to know there is life after the last three-pointer. I really believe the role you play in our society is more than just the entertainment value for your college, university, alumni and fans."

Breakout sessions featuring an in-depth look at the AD hiring process and how athletics planning fits into overall university planning also were conducted.

Curley was the moderator for the hiring session, which featured a panel including Athletics Directors Cheryl Levick of Saint Louis University, Gene Smith of Ohio State University and Rick Greenspan of Indiana University, Bloomington.

One of the highlights from the session came from Levick, who had a list of 10 essential things candidates must have when trying to acquire employment as an AD or another sports administration job.

One of the 10 items was straight-forward advice about being in shape.

"Appearance and health count," Levick said. "This is a stressful job, and you're in the public eye. You need to be healthy and keep yourself fit. Women, I'm sorry but it's more critical that you're in shape than the guys. Unfortunately that's the way it is. Guys can put on sports jackets, and we necessarily can't."

Other highlights from the seminar included ways to make your resume stand out and being honest with your immediate supervisor when searching or being sought after for another position.

Colgate University Athletics Director Dave Roach moderated the strategic planning session, which featured Andy Fellingham and Cynthia Linhart of Inter-Collegiate Athletic Consulting as panelists.

Fellingham, managing director of the company, stressed that having a seat at the table when the decisions are made and having a representative who can communicate well with the other parties around the table is a must. This ensures that the athletics department is in sync with the rest of the university.