A record number of FARs -- about 300 -- attended the annual meeting.

That task of creating a stronger voice included a discussion of how a recently established Division I-A FAR group can have a greater impact on NCAA matters while still serving under the FARA umbrella. The Division I-A group reached an agreement with FARA last year that it needed more flexibility to exercise its influence on I-A policy.

"We reached a compromise whereby the Division I-A FARs will remain part of FARA as far as education and information sharing is concerned," said FARA President Don Vanderjagt, the FAR at Grand Valley State University. "They were very complimentary about what was happening with FARA, but when it comes to legislative review, they need their own space."

The I-A group is in the process of developing a mission statement and identifying two or three themes that best represent future goals.

University of Michigan FAR Percy Bates was among about 15 Division I-A faculty reps to attend the forum.

Bates, a former president of FARA, talked about the I-A group's primary concern that the business side of college athletics is overshadowing the primacy of the academic mission. He said it's time for faculty to voice that concern.

"The faculty voice has decreased when it comes to providing direction on where the intercollegiate athletics enterprise is headed," Bates said. "We need somebody to say that the faculty members represent a legitimate entity in the process. Whether we're talking about building a stadium or increasing the number of seats in a stadium -- while that may be a business decision, a faculty member might say that it may not be a decision in the best interests of student-athletes.

"Part of our goal is to have a voice strong enough that decision-makers will realize that they better check these matters with the faculty."

Bates said one of the group's first initiatives is to meet with representatives from the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics in February. He said it will be important for FARs and athletics directors to be on the same page when it comes to making and communicating decisions.

"There will be issues where as a faculty representative I don't care if the decision boosts revenues or not," Bates said. "My primary concern is whether the decision is in the best interests of student-athletes."

Bates said establishing a stronger link between I-A FARs and ADs will help when a collective effort is needed to push an initiative through the governance structure. On the other hand, Bates said, it's important for each group to understand there will be issues on which the two differ philosophically.

"We can use our collective strength when we need it," he said. "On the other side, if there are issues where we have different interests, we may need to understand that we'll have to go our separate ways."

Education sessions

The Fall Forum also included division breakout sessions and information sharing that focused on best practices.

Division II FARs reviewed the recent Fellows Institute pilot program held October 7-9 in Indianapolis. Those who attended spoke highly of the event, noting in particular the benefits of a joint meeting among FARs and Division II conference commissioners.

Diane Husic, former longtime FAR at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania and now the chair of the biology department at Moravian College, said the program sent a strong message about the need for all FARs to play a more dynamic leadership role in the governance of intercollegiate athletics (see related story in the October 24 issue of The NCAA News).

Each division also held legislative review sessions. In Division III, FARs discussed proposals slated for the 2006 NCAA Convention that would affect the reform agenda begun two years ago.

The Division III FARs opposed Proposal No. 2-1, which essentially would cap the Division III membership at the total number of current, provisional and reclassifying members as of June 2006.

They also spoke against Proposal No. 2-12, which would allow the practice of redshirting, something the Division III membership voted down at the 2004 Convention.

Division III FARs at the Fall Forum did support Proposal No. 2-2, which would require conferences to conduct a comprehensive self-study and evaluation at least once every five years. The FARs believe that legislation would improve conference operations by encouraging dialogue on important issues and ensuring that conferences realign for reasons other than automatic qualification.

Other highlights of the FARA Fall Forum included:

• Opening remarks from NCAA President Myles Brand, who provided updates on Division I reform initiatives, including the Academic Progress Rate, and the formation of the Presidential Task Force on the Future of Division I Intercollegiate Athletics. The task force is composed of four subcommittees that are addressing topics such as fiscal integrity, president/trustee relationships, the values of intercollegiate athletics, and student-athlete well-being. Task force members are completing a set of white papers to be distributed at the January Convention for review and feedback.

Brand also engaged the FARs in a question-and-answer session.

"The relationship between Myles and FARA is excellent," Vanderjagt said. "He's been very supportive about academic involvement, and the student side of the student-athlete."

• Presentations on topics affecting women in college sports, including Title IX, the senior woman administrator designation, and the positive impact that participation in sports can have on women. FARs were reminded that the senior woman administrator position is not a job description, but the designation of the highest-ranking female involved with the management of a member institution's intercollegiate athletics program.

• An awards ceremony that honored Michael Miranda of Plattsburgh State University of New York as the recipient of the David Knight Award. Miranda, who has served as a faculty athletics representative at Plattsburgh State since 1994, was recognized for his contributions to FARA and his abundant service to NCAA committees over time. He currently chairs the Division III Management Council and the NCAA Research Committee.

The Knight Award was established in 2003. Knight, a longtime FAR at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, was the first chair of the Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet and is regarded as a champion of NCAA academic standards. Knight died in 2003 after a bout with cancer.

"I've been very happy to work as an FAR this long," Miranda said. "I came to one of these (FARA Fall Forums) and the first meeting I was at there were six Division III FARs. Now there are 70 or 80 Division III FARs at the table."

FARA also honored this year's NCAA Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship recipients, a tradition at the fall banquet. Sarah Dance, a swimming student-athlete at Truman State University, and Matthew Dunn, a cross country student-athlete at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, were awarded the scholarships in the spring.