The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame and the Football Writers Association of America will examine critical issues facing college football during an inaugural forum next month.

The two organizations will jointly host the forum, entitled College Football: Today and Tomorrow, May 15-16 in Dallas.

Scheduled panelists including Army Athletics Director Kevin Anderson, Kansas head coach Mark Mangino, Texas Christian head coach Gary Patterson, Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel, Florida State President T.K. Wetherell, Washington head coach Tyrone Willingham and Notre Dame Athletics Director Kevin White. They’ll address topics such as media relations, academics, recruiting, player conduct, coaches’ obligations beyond the field, coaching compensation and contracts, minority coaching opportunities, economics of the sport, postseason imperatives, the influence of the NFL on the college game, the state of high school football, and the health of the college game.

NFF President and CEO Steven J. Hatchell said ensuring the future of the sport remains paramount, and that the NFF board wanted to play a role in creating a healthy dialogue among leaders in the sport and the media.

“By creating greater access for the media in a relaxed setting, we hope that the forum can become an annual affair that will create a greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing our sport between all the parties involved,” he said.

The Associated Press, USA Today, ESPN, CBS SportsLine and the Sporting News are among the media currently scheduled to attend.

Steve Richardson, executive director of the Football Writers Association of American, said, “We certainly hope that this becomes an annual staple of the college football scene and will grow in popularity over the years where the media can engage some of the best minds in college football about the pertinent topics of the day.”

Other participants will include representatives from the NCAA, all 11 Football Subdivision conferences, every BCS bowl game, the Division I-A Athletics Directors Association, the American Football Coaches Association, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the North Texas High School Coaches Association and the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Space is limited; however, media interested in attending the two-day event may e-mail Phil Marwill at pmarwill@footballfoundation.com to request an invitation.