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NCAA News Archive - 2007
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Committee eyes inclusion in new governance system
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By Leilana McKindra
The NCAA News
The NCAA News
The NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee continues to stress the importance of ethnic-minority and female representation in the proposed new governance structure for Division I.
At its most recent meeting last month in Indianapolis, the MOIC heard governance updates regarding diversity requirements within the proposed Division I governance structure that replaces the current Management Council and cabinets with 31-member Leadership and Legislative Councils, a 31-member championships cabinet and five other topically based 20-member cabinets.
The Management Council’s governance subcommittee, which is charged with developing the proposal, originally had suggested that the currently legislated diversity minimums for the Council (20 percent ethnic minorities and 35 percent women) be applied in aggregate to the new Councils and cabinets. That recommendation was later revised for the legislated minimums to apply separately to each of the proposed structure’s two tiers rather than throughout.
Still, the MOIC and the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics are concerned that representation of ethnic minorities and females could decrease under the proposed restructuring plan.
The MOIC in fact asked the governance subcommittee to consider increasing the minimums to 35 percent for both ethnic minorities and women or, if current minimums are maintained, mandating that an individual may count in one category but not both.
The MOIC also requested that the Board of Directors, which would be charged with the oversight of the Councils in the new structure, review its own gender and diversity requirements, which have not been modified since the federatated governance structure went into effect in 1997.
The Board of Directors is expected to review the governance proposal again at its November 1 meeting.
The MOIC used part of its September 17-18 session in Indianapolis to meet with the CWA and review budget initiatives for the 2008-10 biennium. The committees agreed to request that funding levels for current programs remain the same.
In addition, the MOIC reviewed new initiatives for which it may request funding. They include two grant programs — one to help historically black colleges and universities enhance athletics academic support and compliance systems, and another to develop a Future Athletics Administrator program modeled after the Future Coaches Academy, which was launched last year for football student-athletes interested in becoming a head coach. Another initiative would fund research examining the diversity of football and men’s and women’s basketball officials in all three divisions.
In other action, the MOIC contacted the Division I Committee on Athletics Certification and the Divisions II and III Membership Committees, encouraging them to ask institutions to demonstrate during the certification and institutional self-study process that they are following designated institutional hiring practices and that promotion and retention policies be reviewed.
September 17-18/Indianapolis
At its most recent meeting last month in Indianapolis, the MOIC heard governance updates regarding diversity requirements within the proposed Division I governance structure that replaces the current Management Council and cabinets with 31-member Leadership and Legislative Councils, a 31-member championships cabinet and five other topically based 20-member cabinets.
The Management Council’s governance subcommittee, which is charged with developing the proposal, originally had suggested that the currently legislated diversity minimums for the Council (20 percent ethnic minorities and 35 percent women) be applied in aggregate to the new Councils and cabinets. That recommendation was later revised for the legislated minimums to apply separately to each of the proposed structure’s two tiers rather than throughout.
Still, the MOIC and the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics are concerned that representation of ethnic minorities and females could decrease under the proposed restructuring plan.
The MOIC in fact asked the governance subcommittee to consider increasing the minimums to 35 percent for both ethnic minorities and women or, if current minimums are maintained, mandating that an individual may count in one category but not both.
The MOIC also requested that the Board of Directors, which would be charged with the oversight of the Councils in the new structure, review its own gender and diversity requirements, which have not been modified since the federatated governance structure went into effect in 1997.
The Board of Directors is expected to review the governance proposal again at its November 1 meeting.
The MOIC used part of its September 17-18 session in Indianapolis to meet with the CWA and review budget initiatives for the 2008-10 biennium. The committees agreed to request that funding levels for current programs remain the same.
In addition, the MOIC reviewed new initiatives for which it may request funding. They include two grant programs — one to help historically black colleges and universities enhance athletics academic support and compliance systems, and another to develop a Future Athletics Administrator program modeled after the Future Coaches Academy, which was launched last year for football student-athletes interested in becoming a head coach. Another initiative would fund research examining the diversity of football and men’s and women’s basketball officials in all three divisions.
In other action, the MOIC contacted the Division I Committee on Athletics Certification and the Divisions II and III Membership Committees, encouraging them to ask institutions to demonstrate during the certification and institutional self-study process that they are following designated institutional hiring practices and that promotion and retention policies be reviewed.
Other highlights
Minority Opportunities and Interests CommitteeSeptember 17-18/Indianapolis
- Revisited the issue of low African-American participation in baseball. The group recommended that Divisions I, II and III governing bodies earmark additional conference grants to increase participation in baseball and other sports in which ethnic minorities are significantly underrepresented.
- Discussed development of an apprenticeship program that would expose participants to senior-level committees as non-voting members with the goal of establishing a pool of administrators who may be considered for future appointments. An MOIC subcommittee appointed to explore the feasibility of the program believes it would provide ethnic minorities and women with valuable experience and allow them to interact with senior-level administrators. Among subcommittee concerns are funding the travel necessary for program participants and establishing a term of service that would make the experience valuable.
- Elected Rudy Keeling, commissioner of the Eastern College Athletic Conference, as chair.
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