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NCAA News Archive - 2007
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Stratten announces retirement
The NCAA News
Ron Stratten, who has served as vice president for education services at the NCAA national office since 1996, has announced his retirement, effective January 31.
Stratten will continue to work with the Association on a consultant basis over the next year.
“Ron’s impact during his years in intercollegiate athletics administration, particularly on student-athlete well-being, cannot be overstated,” said NCAA President Myles Brand. “He has worked passionately during his career on behalf of the student-athlete and has overseen programs to enhance student-athletes’ collegiate experience, including those that address gender equity, health and safety, sportsmanship, access and community outreach. We will miss Ron’s daily presence, but his imprint on the Association is lasting.”
NCAA Senior Vice President Bernard Franklin called Stratten a key administrator within the national office in helping the Association with matters related to organizational development, strategic planning, sportsmanship and ethical conduct.
“Ron came in on the ground floor of education services and has built that department into one that certainly serves the best interests of student-athletes,” Franklin said. “He also has helped increase the governance structure’s emphasis on quality research, and he has played a key role in establishing and implementing professional-development and diversity initiatives that have become staples in NCAA programming.”
Stratten has led the education services staff since 1996 and has helped administer programs including the NCAA Leadership Conference, CHAMPS/Life Skills and the First Team Mentoring program for high school basketball athletes. In addition, Stratten helped establish and has chaired for three years the Citizenship Through Sports Alliance, a coalition of professional and amateur athletics organizations focused on character in sport. He also oversaw the NCAA Hall of Champions staff.
He has been the primary staff liaison to the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct since that group’s inception in 1997, and he has provided leadership for educational initiatives regarding sports wagering, youth programs and health concerns.
“Not only has Ron served the student-athlete,” Franklin said, “but he also has been diligent in keeping the national office grounded in its commitment to diversity and inclusion, equitable treatment and professional development.”
Stratten was instrumental in administering national office diversity education in the 1990s, which eventually spread to programming that became popular for the membership. Other NCAA programs, such as the Fellows Leadership Development Program and the Minority Leadership Institutes, also benefited from Stratten’s oversight.
“Most of my career has been about championing the values of intercollegiate athletics and developing those people who participate in and help administer the enterprise,” Stratten said. “I am proud to have been able to make a difference through my work with the NCAA. The Association’s attention to the student-athlete has been personally rewarding for me. I have met and worked with hundreds of educators and administrators who are committed to student-athlete well-being, and I rest assured knowing that student-athlete interests remain at the heart of all the NCAA does.
“After I address a few health-related concerns, I hope to apply my consultant experience in ways that will assist institutions and conferences directly.”
Stratten actually has served two stints with the national office. He first joined the NCAA staff in 1975 as an enforcement representative, becoming an assistant director of enforcement in 1977 and serving in that role until 1983 when he left to pursue opportunities in sports marketing, career development and counseling. From 1986 to 1994, Stratten was president and chief operating officer of PACE Sports, Inc., the largest career development firm serving professional and elite amateur athletes. He also was president of Stratten Consulting Group, an organizational development consulting firm that assisted business, educational and governmental clients in creating a more effective workplace. Before joining the NCAA staff in 1975, Stratten was the head football coach for Portland State University for three years. He was the first African-American to serve as head football coach at a predominantly white institution.
Stratten has a B.S. from the University of Oregon and an M.S. from Kansas State University.
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The NCAA News
Ron Stratten, who has served as vice president for education services at the NCAA national office since 1996, has announced his retirement, effective January 31.Stratten will continue to work with the Association on a consultant basis over the next year.
“Ron’s impact during his years in intercollegiate athletics administration, particularly on student-athlete well-being, cannot be overstated,” said NCAA President Myles Brand. “He has worked passionately during his career on behalf of the student-athlete and has overseen programs to enhance student-athletes’ collegiate experience, including those that address gender equity, health and safety, sportsmanship, access and community outreach. We will miss Ron’s daily presence, but his imprint on the Association is lasting.”
NCAA Senior Vice President Bernard Franklin called Stratten a key administrator within the national office in helping the Association with matters related to organizational development, strategic planning, sportsmanship and ethical conduct.
“Ron came in on the ground floor of education services and has built that department into one that certainly serves the best interests of student-athletes,” Franklin said. “He also has helped increase the governance structure’s emphasis on quality research, and he has played a key role in establishing and implementing professional-development and diversity initiatives that have become staples in NCAA programming.”
Stratten has led the education services staff since 1996 and has helped administer programs including the NCAA Leadership Conference, CHAMPS/Life Skills and the First Team Mentoring program for high school basketball athletes. In addition, Stratten helped establish and has chaired for three years the Citizenship Through Sports Alliance, a coalition of professional and amateur athletics organizations focused on character in sport. He also oversaw the NCAA Hall of Champions staff.
He has been the primary staff liaison to the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct since that group’s inception in 1997, and he has provided leadership for educational initiatives regarding sports wagering, youth programs and health concerns.
“Not only has Ron served the student-athlete,” Franklin said, “but he also has been diligent in keeping the national office grounded in its commitment to diversity and inclusion, equitable treatment and professional development.”
Stratten was instrumental in administering national office diversity education in the 1990s, which eventually spread to programming that became popular for the membership. Other NCAA programs, such as the Fellows Leadership Development Program and the Minority Leadership Institutes, also benefited from Stratten’s oversight.
“Most of my career has been about championing the values of intercollegiate athletics and developing those people who participate in and help administer the enterprise,” Stratten said. “I am proud to have been able to make a difference through my work with the NCAA. The Association’s attention to the student-athlete has been personally rewarding for me. I have met and worked with hundreds of educators and administrators who are committed to student-athlete well-being, and I rest assured knowing that student-athlete interests remain at the heart of all the NCAA does.
“After I address a few health-related concerns, I hope to apply my consultant experience in ways that will assist institutions and conferences directly.”
Stratten actually has served two stints with the national office. He first joined the NCAA staff in 1975 as an enforcement representative, becoming an assistant director of enforcement in 1977 and serving in that role until 1983 when he left to pursue opportunities in sports marketing, career development and counseling. From 1986 to 1994, Stratten was president and chief operating officer of PACE Sports, Inc., the largest career development firm serving professional and elite amateur athletes. He also was president of Stratten Consulting Group, an organizational development consulting firm that assisted business, educational and governmental clients in creating a more effective workplace. Before joining the NCAA staff in 1975, Stratten was the head football coach for Portland State University for three years. He was the first African-American to serve as head football coach at a predominantly white institution.
Stratten has a B.S. from the University of Oregon and an M.S. from Kansas State University.
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