Jan 6, 2010 9:56:56 AM

Attendees at next week's NCAA Convention in Atlanta will have ample opportunities to learn, network and celebrate, in addition to conducting the business of the Association.

The Convention begins in earnest on Thursday, January 14, with several governance meetings and the Convention's opening business session, featuring a presentation from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

Duncan, a former varsity student-athlete at Harvard University, is expected to reflect on how his days as a student-athlete helped shape his career. Duncan was co-captain of Harvard's basketball team and was named a first-team Academic All-American (he played professional basketball in Australia from 1987-91). He graduated magna cum laude with a degree in sociology.

The opening business session also will feature the annual State of the Association address from NCAA Interim President Jim Isch and remarks from NCAA Executive Committee chair Edward Ray, president of Oregon State University. The Association also will honor the late NCAA President Myles Brand with the NCAA President's Gerald R. Ford Award for contributions to intercollegiate athletics.

Governance meetings of note include the Divisions II and III business sessions on Saturday, January 16. Division I conducts its business session, including override votes on sand volleyball and the length of the baseball season, the previous day.

Convention attendees also will have a full menu of Association-wide educational sessions from which to choose, including a panel discussion on the impact of membership growth from a divisional as well as Association-wide perspective.

The annual Honors Celebration is on Friday, January 15, at which time the Association will present former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell with the Theodore Roosevelt Award. Recipients of the Today's Top VIII, Silver Anniversary Award, Inspiration Award and Award of Valor also will be recognized.

The Convention will be preceded by the third annual Scholarly Colloquium on College Sports, which features a collection of scholarly research papers that this year focus on how the economy affects all aspects of college sports.

Click here for a full Convention schedule.