As the NCAA enters the new millennium, the Association's Executive Committee has taken steps to ensure that the organization's vision doesn't lose focus.

The Executive Committee has worked to establish priorities for the future that set parameters for all the Association does in the coming years. And those priorities put student-athletes in the foreground of the big picture, establishing protocol for developing them as leaders both on and off the playing fields and courts.

The priorities are important, not only because of the principles they espouse but because of the group that took on the task in the first place. The Executive Committee, which at times in the past has searched to clarify its role within the NCAA's governance structure, used this opportunity to establish its leadership role in shaping the framework for future NCAA business.

"The Executive Committee is the entity that has oversight over the entire operation of the NCAA, and we thought it was very important for that group to signal to the rest of the Association what we believe to be the priorities for the coming years," said Executive Committee Chair Charles T. Wethington Jr., who also is president at the University of Kentucky.

Wethington said the priorities are the result of intensive discussions during recent Executive Committee meetings, including a retreat conducted before the group's October gathering. The Committee drafted the following four primary objectives, all of which have the development of student-athletes as leaders as a common denominator:

Preparing student-athletes for leadership in a dynamic and diverse society.

Reinforcing the values of fairness and integrity in intercollegiate athletics.

Increasing access to higher education and enhancing the collegiate experiences of young men and women through sound fiscal management.

Highlighting the capacity of college sports in collaboration with campus and community leaders nationwide to foster lifelong learning and health.

Those four objectives also contain several sub-goals that emphasize equity, diversity and fiscal responsibility in implementation, but Wethington said the priorities were painted with a broad brush to allow policy-making bodies within the Association to complete the canvas.

"The priorities are deliberately broad," Wethington said. "The Executive Committee knows and understands that the various governing bodies and committees need the flexibility to be able to operate within broad policy guidelines, so I believe it's fair to say that we saw this as an exercise that would set broad policy and then expect the various committees to work within these priorities as they do their jobs."

Wethington said the priorities were designed with the NCAA's mission in mind, which is to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the educational process. He said the messages are intended to encourage colleges and universities to create an environment in intercollegiate athletics in which student-athletes are challenged to be the best in the classroom, on the playing field and in their communities.

The priorities have taken on added importance now that the Association has signed an 11-year, $6 billion television contract with CBS Sports. Wethington already has indicated that the Executive Committee will play a large role in determining how those increased revenues will be distributed.

James L. Isch, NCAA vice-president for finance and information services, said the timing was critical for the Association to establish some parameters as governance groups develop recommendations for educational programs or other student-athlete welfare enhancements.

"Those priorities will drive the budget," Isch said. "This puts planning in front of the budget and aligns plans with actual dollars. The Executive Committee's Budget Subcommittee, in fact, already has used these priorities in making its recommended allocations for 2000-01."

Role of NCAA president

Along with the development of priorities for the future, the Executive Committee has focused considerable attention on who should be charged with making sure those priorities are nurtured and maintained. The group has agreed that the NCAA president and the national office staff should assume an active leadership role in that regard.

The Committee has stated, in fact, that providing leadership for the NCAA through the employment of the NCAA president is one of its most important functions, and that chief executives throughout the governance structure have insisted from the outset on active leadership from the top executive and senior staff.

In a memorandum to the Executive Committee in December, NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey supported the Committee's position, saying the NCAA president should be more than just an administrator.

"The relationship between the NCAA president and the Executive Committee is similar to that which exists between a university's president and its board of trustees," Dempsey said. "The president must articulate a direction for the organization."

Wethington said the establishment of priorities for the future is critical in fostering that role.

"We saw that we needed to send some direction to the NCAA president and his staff that the staff role is one of carrying out the priorities of the Association," Wethington said. "We really believe that the action the Executive Committee took made it more possible for the president and his staff to ensure that the actions they were taking were in line with the priorities of the Association.

"This was a clarifying process for us, one that I believe was extremely helpful for the president, the staff and the various bodies that work within the Association."

The Executive Committee will review the priorities for a final time in January before determining how to disseminate them through the structure. At that time, NCAA committees will have a road map, or at least a set of guidelines to drive their business.

"The NCAA supports a comprehensive approach to building student-athletes as leaders through educational programs," Isch said. "These priorities will help ensure that the various committees within the structure are able to do just that."

NCAA PrioritiesThe following is a draft of the priorities for future Association business that the Executive Committee will review during its January meeting:

1. The NCAA prepares student-athletes for leadership in a dynamic and diverse society.

Maintain the fundamental connection between classroom performance and athletics participation through standards for initial and continuing eligibility that ensure equitable access to higher education and encourage academic success.

Sharpen the focus and increase support for campus- and community-based leadership models through philanthropic and corporate partnerships with the NCAA Foundation.

Deepen appreciation for the advantages of a diverse society and the opportunities for responsible citizenship in the context of diversity.

Remove unnecessary regulations or other impediments to student-athletes' educational experiences and integration into campus life.

2. The NCAA reinforces the values of fairness and integrity in intercollegiate athletics.

Provide quality competitive and championships experiences on an equitable basis for men and women student-athletes.

Promote sportsmanship and ethical behavior through an aggressive educational program and collaboration with leaders in athletics, higher education and government.

Ensure consistency in the application of NCAA rules through an impartial and effective enforcement program.

3. The NCAA increases access to higher education and enhances the collegiate experiences of young men and women through sound fiscal management.

Increase revenue distributions to member institutions for the direct support of student-athletes in their educational development.

Ensure the stability of existing NCAA revenues and explore opportunities to diversify revenue sources of the Association.

Establish a coordinated program of corporate partnerships and marketing, licensing and promotions that includes international initiatives.

4. In collaboration with campus and community leaders nationwide, the NCAA highlights the capacity of college sports to foster lifelong learning and health.

Implement a coordinated public affairs plan that focuses on the creative and positive energy of student-athletes in higher education and delivers key NCAA communications through an integrated network to campus and conference administrators.

Take full advantage of the educational and public relations value of the new NCAA Hall of Champions.