Honoring 100 years of intercollegiate athletics is nearly impossible to do in just one event. So the NCAA Centennial festivities in 2006 will be spread throughout the year with one constant theme: Celebrating the student-athlete.

Planning the details of the 100-year anniversary of the NCAA has been months in the making, but the goal has remained a fixture -- educating and increasing awareness with the general public, media and external stakeholders on the value of intercollegiate athletics and the role it plays, has played and will continue to play in society.

A commemorative book, special exhibits and educational sessions/forums at next year's NCAA Convention in Indianapolis, "legacy" programs at each of the 88 NCAA championships, and taped interviews with former student-athletes reflecting on significant moments in NCAA history and views on what the future holds are just some of the examples of how the Association will acknowledge its special birthday.

Member institutions and conferences also will play vital roles in the party, from helping NCAA staff compile a database of previous NCAA award winners to submitting photographs of people or events that were significant to student-athlete well-being. The pictures will combine to form a mosaic NCAA Centennial logo that can be tailored to specific events.

Overall, the project is vast and will require a focused effort from many constituents.

"Nothing I've ever worked on compares to this,'' said John Johnson, NCAA director of promotions and events. "I have worked on some things that have had bigger budgets, but it was much more finite. This is much more fluid. We're dependent upon a lot of variables that we can't forecast. It's an inexact science, but it's very exciting.''

The NCAA Executive Committee approved a $2.5 million budget for the Centennial. Finding a fiscal balance while conducting a necessary celebration has been an important aspect of this endeavor.

John White, chancellor at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and chair of the Executive Committee's finance committee, said his group worked with staff to find that balance. Though any number of high-cost events could have been staged, the goal was to budget for the Centennial appropriately -- to value the messaging opportunities the event presented while still being fiscally prudent.

White said the budget process relied on staff presenting the opportunities available and then fine-tuning that list to what the budget committee felt was a responsible commitment.

"In the end, all of the items presented seemed to be very appropriate," White said. "Each of the components will bring increased visibility and will showcase many of the achievements within the Association."

While there are costs involved with taking on a project of this magnitude, Executive Committee Chair Carol Cartwright said this particular anniversary should be regarded as an investment rather than an expense.

Since the objective of the Centennial celebration is to increase the public understanding and confidence in the integrity of intercollegiate athletics and the connection to higher education, Cartwright said she expects the Association to reap returns on its budget allocation.

"Certainly, there are balance points as to how you signal a sense of fiscal responsibility and also make the right kind of investment,'' said Cartwright, the president of Kent State University. "That's what presidents do every day. We live in those environments on a daily basis. We're constantly making decisions on whether we have investments in the right places. That's why we asked for the programming to come back to us from time to time so that we could keep thinking about the balance.''

While not all the details of some of the events for the celebration have been finalized, many components already are in place. Following are some of the initiatives that will take place in 2006, starting with the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis January 6-10.

• NCAA Honors Program enhancements include holding this annual event at the Murat Theater, which seats 3,800. For the first time, the general public will be invited to attend this previously membership-only affair. A number of former Theodore Roosevelt, Today's Top VIII and Silver Anniversary Award honorees from the past will be invited to participate. The format of the event will be changed to a stage presentation instead of a plated dinner. A catered reception will be held before the program.

• Panel discussions and forums featuring individuals who played significant roles in NCAA history. Panelists will discuss contemporary issues and the future of intercollegiate athletics.

• The NCAA Hall of Champions is considering a Centennial exhibit to run (tentatively) from January 4, 2006, through January 7, 2007. "We're looking at designers and coming up with the exact way we want this done,'' said Kelly Dodds, the Hall's assistant director of special projects. "The goal is to highlight historic events over the last 100 years. We hope to get the membership involved by having them loan us some artifacts.''

• A Centennial sculpture, which will be displayed in either the outdoor plaza or in the foyer of the national office. An artist will be commissioned in June to complete the project by May 2006. The sculpture will depict the unique role of student-athletes within intercollegiate athletics and show the vital connection of the student with athletics.

• A commemorative book authored by former NCAA membership president Joe Crowley will highlight 100 years of the NCAA, placing an emphasis on the past quarter-century. The book will be distributed to all student-athletes competing in NCAA championships in the 2006 calendar year (see related story on page A2).

• Special exhibits celebrating the 25-year anniversary of NCAA women's championships, other selected championships and the 39 charter members of the NCAA will be displayed at a reception at the national office or the Hall of Champions.

• The photo-mosaic logo, which will consist of pictures of significant events and people in NCAA history, will feature technological advancements where individual photos can be lifted out and displayed for certain championships. The technology also allows a person to be placed in a photo depicting a historic moment. "From a fun side, if we had a photo from the well-known Stanford-Cal game, you could be the person who's bowling over the band,'' Johnson said. "We're really excited about the photo mosaic element, because it is an opportunity to send the message that we are one Association of which each of us is a part. It's about involving member institutions, and it's also helping them advocate a little bit about themselves.''

• The legacy program is a concept in which the NCAA will identify one site at each of the 88 championships and develop a program that makes a contribution to the local community, possibly in conjunction with the host institution, broadcast partners and/or corporate champions. The contribution should raise awareness that the NCAA is more than just athletics. It could take the form of a contribution to local schools, a donation to a community charity or a scholarship program.

• A "call for papers" campaign also will be implemented in 2006. That concept involves asking for papers to be submitted to spark discussion about important topics in intercollegiate athletics. While specific topics have not been identified, possibilities include the role of college sports and the NCAA in American culture; college sports and the high-school student: the role of intercollegiate athletics in high-school students' perceptions and motivations regarding college; the history and current perspectives on the value of sports; and keeping the alumni engaged in the university. Presentation of the papers could occur in conjunction with the 2007 NCAA Convention in Orlando, Florida.

"The goal is to consider an ongoing conference or seminar in the years to come that allows for the discussion of sports and higher education,'' Johnson said. "We want to mitigate the gap between academics and athletics. As far as we can tell, this will be the first time the NCAA will be sponsoring the underwriting of this kind of work.''

• Since 2006 is not only the NCAA's Centennial but also the 25th anniversary of women's championships, plans are being considered to conduct a special recognition ceremony at the 2006 field hockey championships, which were the first NCAA women's championships to be conducted in 1981. Also, because track and field was the first sport in which an NCAA championship was conducted (in 1921), commemoration ceremonies are being planned for the 2006 outdoor track and field championships.

• The NCAA also is pursuing the possibility of special television presentations throughout the centennial year with its media partners. "The presidents made it clear that the more partnerships that could be obtained because of this, the better,'' Cartwright said. "Obviously, that helps us manage the expenses, but it's also a way of building deeper relationships between the Association and its partners.''

• Member institutions and conferences will be able to request "Centennial Activation Kits," which will contain decals, signage, shell print, radio and television advertisements to reach beyond the athletics department and encompass more of the institution and surrounding community.

Johnson said all of these activities have one common bond.

"If the student-athlete didn't exist, the NCAA wouldn't exist,'' he said. "When people attend an event or experience an interactive exhibit, the key is for them to better understand and celebrate the student-athlete experience.''

By conducting activities throughout 2006, this message will have ample opportunity to be spread.

"The idea of sustained programming is important to the presidents as we thought about making this investment,'' Cartwright said. "As you get to a 100th anniversary, it's such a significant milestone that very few organizations mark it with just one event. There is a sense of looking at ways in which you can build up to a major event as well as ways you can have a lasting effect.''

The year-long celebration of the student-athlete should provide that imprint.