The National Student-Athlete Development Conference is changing its name to the Career in Sports Forum beginning in 2010.

The Forum will be conducted May 11-14, 2010, in Indianapolis and will expose student-athletes to careers in sports, specifically collegiate athletics.

The shift in programming is an effort to diversify the experience of NCAA student-athletes during their time in college. While previous programming focused on personal development (life during college), the Forum will focus on career development (life in college and beyond). 

The Forum will teach foundational skills such as communication, networking, recruiting, managing culture change, transitioning and budgeting. Participants will develop action plans for personal growth, learn realistic views of the roles of coaches and administrators, and in the end dispel some of the myths about careers in athletics. College athletics personnel will take part in the Forum as facilitators, presenters and mentors.

Online registration will open October 1, 2009, and close January 20, 2010. The Forum will be conducted in a two-year rotation for student-athletes who participate in NCAA sports. The first rotation is open to student-athletes in baseball, basketball, bowling, football, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling.

Along with the change in the national student-athlete program, the five divisional leadership programs will transition to one regional conference that will include Divisions I, II and III at one site on the same weekend starting in the fall of 2010. While all three divisions will convene at the same location, each division will maintain federated programming. Opportunities for interaction will be provided through general sessions, community-service projects and menu sessions.

Association wide initiatives aimed at training campus and conference office administrators to conduct interactive trainings; along with topic specific programming for student-athletes are being developed.  Ultimately, the changes being made will provide additional development opportunities for student-athletes covering campuses and conferences, personal and career development, and administrator training that will have an immediate effect for the membership.   

For more information about the new programs, contact the student-athlete development staff at sad@ncaa.org.