Apr 9, 2010 8:37:48 AM

With testimonials from members who say, "It's the most useful thing we do all year," the NCAA is gearing up for another round of Regional Rules Seminars.

Online registration for this year's seminar May 17-21 in Indianapolis closes April 18. Registration for the June 14-18 seminar in Dallas closes May 11. Complete schedules and descriptions of a broad array of sessions also are posted on the Web site. They indicate another varied mix of Association-wide and division-specific programming, including encores of such recently developed and well-received programming as a symposium on the major-infractions process.

The seminars will retain their primary focus as a place where attendees – including not only institutional and conference compliance administrators but also faculty athletics representatives and personnel involved in areas such as eligibility certification, financial aid and academic advising – can gain new knowledge about NCAA legislation and programs while mingling with and learning from colleagues from other schools.

"The seminars are clearly among the most beneficial efforts we engage in all year," said Jon Fagg, the senior associate athletics director for compliance at Arkansas, who has attended the sessions for 18 consecutive years. "It's an opportunity to get us all in one place to collaborate with our peers and national office staff in a setting where we're all there to learn.

"It's the most valuable thing a young compliance person could do – or really anybody, to be honest – anybody who deals directly with student-athletes."

Each location will again offer division-specific segments, including a choice in each city of two segments for Division I attendees: Monday morning through Tuesday afternoon, or Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning.

One segment in each city for Division III attendees runs Monday morning through Tuesday afternoon, while the Division II segment in each city runs Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning.

Association-wide segments – including a second-annual symposium featuring new content on the major-infractions process and programming focusing on such topics as NCAA drug policies and procedures, resources for student-athlete development, gender equity and sports wagering – are scheduled midweek, bringing together participants from all three divisions.

The seminars also have retained such recently developed features as "tracks" of programming that target levels of experience or areas of expertise – including for the third straight year an invitation-only advanced program for Division I compliance administrators with extensive experience in that area.

The seminars have proved valuable for veterans and newcomers alike. For Greg Carroll, who's the AD at Morrisville State College, a relatively new Division III member school, it's a chance to get new staff members up to speed on NCAA legislation and programs.

This year, for example, he's taking a new support staff person that he wants to experience the seminar. Even though that person may not have much direct interaction with student-athletes, Carroll said it's important for everyone to know what the words mean and what the language is when they hear conversations among student-athletes, coaches and staff.

"It's a far-reaching audience that can benefit by attending," he said. "In terms of practical knowledge, you walk away with far more from the Regional Rules Seminars than you do from even the NCAA Convention. Obviously, the Convention serves a voting purpose, but in terms of doing your day-to-day job, the rules seminars are tremendously more beneficial."

Members also appreciate how the seminars have become more interactive.

"It's fantastic the way all the sessions are interactive, even though they are big sessions," Fagg said. "The staff does a great job of taking questions and making sure there is time in every session to get the discussion going. On the surface it may appear like a lecture setting, but it's not. The amount of learning that goes on in such a short period is incredible."

Carroll agreed, noting how the seminars have evolved to include more hypothetical kinds of situations that administrators tend to encounter daily. "Those kinds of approaches have made the seminars much more practical," said Carroll.

They also like the opportunity to meet colleagues and share best practices.

"Among the most valuable experiences for seminar attendees is the networking opportunities and picking up on best practices from counterparts," said Regis (Colorado) Associate AD Ann Martin, who also chairs the Division II Legislation Committee. "It's such a valuable experience that institutions should make their participation a priority, just as they make compliance with NCAA rules a priority."

Lynn Holzman, NCAA director of academic and membership affairs, said attendees will see more presentations this year by teams representing multiple NCAA functions. She offered as an example sessions on various eligibility-certification processes, in which staff members who work in areas such as the Eligibility Center or in student-athlete reinstatement may team up on topics such as academic eligibility or amateurism certification.

"We're seeking to be more responsive to the membership's interest in understanding how these areas work together on these processes," Holzman said.

There also are special events scheduled in each of the cities hosting this year's seminars, including an NCAA Hall of Champions open house May 20 during the Indianapolis gathering. A tour of the NCAA Eligibility Center also is planned for May 18.

In Dallas, the National Association of Division III Athletics Administrators will present its annual summer forum (including a joint session with the Division III Commissioners Association) June 15-16.

The May seminar will be presented in the Indianapolis Downtown Marriott Hotel, while the June seminar will be hosted by the Sheraton Downtown Dallas Hotel.

Dates for the Division I segments in Indianapolis are May 17-18 and May 19-21 (ending by midday Friday), and those segments follow the same schedule in Dallas – June 14-15 and June 16-18.

The Division II segments will be May 19-21 in Indianapolis and June 16-18 in Dallas, and the Division III segments will be May 17-18 in Indianapolis and June 14-15 in Dallas.