The NCAA has embarked on a long-range-planning initiative that will be integrated throughout the enterprise. The process will be grounded in four planning horizons. The approach involves crafting a comprehensive strategic direction based on the balance between the timeless principles of the Association's core purpose and core values and what the Association seeks to become within 10 to 30 years. That vision is characterized by the articulation of an "audacious goal" and a vivid description -- what it will be like to achieve the goal.

This will guide the Association as it considers the factors that will affect its ability to achieve its goals. Building foresight about a five- to 10-year horizon -- assumptions, opportunities and critical uncertainties in the likely relevant future as well as emerging strategic "mega-issues" -- suggests critical choices about the potential barriers the Association will face. This foresight also suggests the responses the Association will need to consider in navigating its way toward achievement of its 10- to 30-year goal, or audacious goal.

The linkage continues into the three- to five-year horizon through the development of a formal long-range strategic plan, in which the Association articulates the outcomes it seeks to achieve for its stakeholders. How will the world be different as a result of what the Association does? Who will benefit, and what will the likely results be? Further, the articulation of strategies will bring focus to the NCAA's annual operational allocation of discretionary resources. Action plans, checkpoints and milestones will be developed through operational planning, indicating the NCAA's progress toward each goal in every planning year.

A strategic long-range plan is not intended as a substitute for an annual program or operating plan. It does not detail all the initiatives, programs, and activities the Association will undertake in the course of serving its membership and the industry, nor can it foresee changes to the underlying assumptions on which key strategic choices were based. Instead, the strategic plan will articulate what the NCAA is not doing today but must be doing in the future to be successful.

To gather broad input and encourage dialogue about the Association's future, a series of strategic-thinking sessions involving key stakeholder groups are occurring this spring and summer. These "emerging themes" documents reflect discussion only. Statements do not necessarily indicate consensus or the position of the overall Association.

Coaches associations -- June 16/Orlando, Florida -- Process Step 2.8

Attending: Jim Haney, Beth Bass, Wendy Larry, Gail Striegler, Richard Gradkowski, Heather Lewis, Sarah Catlin, Grant Teaff, Greg Grost, Tom Drennan, Jerry Hrnciar, Roger Yaffe, Therese Hession, Richard Aronson, Lou Burkel, Mike Burns, Mike Jacki, Bruce Delventhal, Jan Hathorne, Sue Stimmel, Karen Klinger, Bill Zack, George Brooks, Jim Sheldon, Janet Rayfield, Lacy Lee Baker, Mona Stevens, Bob Boettner, Tim Powers, Angel Prinos, Louise Gengler, Beverly Buckley, Bill Tarasche, Finn Pincus, Lynn Ruddy, Katherine McConnell, Sharon Dingman, Kim Marcil, Sean Byron, Mike Moyer, Jack Maughan, Floyd Keith. Facilitator: Jean Frankel, Tecker Consultants.

Key discussion points/emerging themes

Core purpose discussion points: The group's dialogue centered on the purpose of providing championships opportunities for all student-athletes under a uniform set of guidelines. Without the NCAA, intercollegiate athletics could be in disarray, with only a few high-visibility sports succeeding. Other core-purpose ideas included the following:

To create order in intercollegiate athletics; to provide the ideal atmosphere to develop the character of student-athletes -- education, fair and equitable competition, and a common set of rules; to provide participation opportunities through education for student-athletes; to encourage student participation in athletics; to facilitate an infrastructure, competition, legislation and recognition; to create an environment for fair play; to prevent unfair trade practices; to promote the educational mission of the universities; to provide an experience that fosters character development and that improves race and gender integration and harmony; to teach ethical character and trust among members and participants; to infuse the values of athletics competition into how people live their lives; to preserve the hegemony over college sports administration; to generate income; to encourage and strengthen opportunities for the individual and collective pursuit of excellence.

Core values discussion points: The group focused on integrity, fairness, participation, sportsmanship, tolerance, collaboration, flexibility, education, transparency and sensitivity. Other values identified were responsibility, honesty, setting a national standard of excellence, an emphasis on student-athletes, equity, education, consideration and accountability.

Envisioned future

In their dialogue about the envisioned future, these themes emerged from coaches association representatives:

To provide an opportunity for all who may want to participate in collegiate athletics; to maintain the ability for athletes to have control over their pursuit of excellence on and off the playing field. There should be universal recognition that sports participation has equal value to any other facet of education. Sports should be part of the academic mission; athletes should participate because of the pure enjoyment and because athletics are part of the educational process. The public should perceive that scholarships are provided to create better students and more productive members of society. The NCAA should assist institutional educational missions. Graduation rates should be equal to or better than those of the general student population. The NCAA would regulate championships (which it currently is doing) and another organization would regulate the legislative aspect. Governance would be shared between the NCAA and coaches associations. The NCAA would take a leadership role in changing the budgetary arms race in major college sports. Student-athletes will be seen by the world as leaders. The intercollegiate athletics experience will be seen as more than just athletics; it will be viewed as an enterprise that builds character.

Five-to 10-year future

In their dialogue about the five- to 10-year future, these themes emerged from the coaches association participants:

In the area of demographic trends, the group recognized that:

There will continue to be an increase in the female population, and there will be an increased number of women interested in sports. The reduction of male sports opportunities could affect attendance.

Student-athletes likely will be older. There will be more international recruiting. A restructuring of conferences is possible. Crowd control and sportsmanship will be an issue. Online students will be less loyal to their institutions. The commuter population among college students will increase. Off-campus housing will produce a lack of loyalty.

There will be an increase in international students, and this diversity of race and nationality will affect sports.

Pushing earlier specialization will encourage prospective student-athletes to quit and could prompt movement to nontraditional sports. Alternative and extreme sports will demand more attention, especially from men.

In the area of business and economic trends, the group recognized that:

Budgetary concerns will continue. Athletes will continue to be aware of budget crunches within the university, adding stress to their lives. Increased tuition costs could affect athletics because of a reduction in the percentage of tuition paid for by scholarship and the number of walk-on athletes. Budgetary issues will continue even in an improving overall economic climate. A cautious use of resources will continue. There will be decreasing fund-raising success due to economic situations and the changing student population (foreign students do not give as much to universities).

There will be greater competition for disposable dollars.

Athletics programs will not be as family- and student-oriented. There will be increased pressure to sell seats to corporations and to exclude students from the opportunity to watch sports.

Television's impact will continue. Fragmentation of the audience will affect TV rights fees.

The conference structure cannot survive current market conditions. Minor sports will disappear due to economic factors.

In the area of legislative and regulatory trends, the group recognized that:

The NCAA may not be around due to the Bowl Championship Series.

Without intervention, the last sports standing will be football and basketball.

As salaries continue to increase, intercollegiate athletics may open itself up for more regulation.

In the area of technology and science, the group recognized that:

Increased information technology will allow more contact with prospects, but media and new sports will affect the perception of college athletics.

Athletes are getting more and more fit, but the average student is getting less healthy. There is a greater disconnect between mind and body. There is an increased separation between health and sports-skills courses.

In the area of political and social values, the group recognized that:

Diversity will increase. Gender and minorities opportunities are limited, which will affect institutions and intercollegiate athletics both politically and financially.

There will be decreasing physical education programs at schools before college.

There will continue to be a disconnect between athletes and the general population about whether athletics is entertainment or part of the educational experience.

There is, and will continue to be, a breakdown in values related to intercollegiate athletics (if you're not cheating, you're not trying). If you cannot be the star, you don't want to be on the team, both with athletes and coaches. Spectator issues suggest that intercollegiate athletics is increasingly viewed as just an opportunity to party. Are we really creating fans or just entertaining people? With less participation comes less opportunity to learn values.

Entitlement issues with athletes will affect intercollegiate athletics. All students expect scholarships, and parents try to negotiate them; these trends will increase significantly.

University presidents, supported by the NCAA, must take charge of escalating budgets, including coaches' salaries.

Maintain all Olympic sports as an indicator of excellence within the framework of the NCAA.

Five- to 10-year planning -- mega issues

In their dialogue about mega issues, these themes emerged from coaches association participants:

Student-athletes: How do we maintain the primacy of the student-athlete? How can the NCAA protect student-athlete rights? Is the NCAA an athletics union? The NCAA must resolve the issue of payment to student-athletes. How can the NCAA foster the student without sacrificing the opportunities for excellence in the athlete? How do we keep the focus on the student-athlete and not on revenue generation? How do we address professionalism vs. amateurism in sports? How do we keep student-athletes on a level playing field among sports? How do we manage time demands on student-athletes?

Intercollegiate athletics: What is the goal of intercollegiate athletics? Is building character a role for intercollegiate athletics? What steps should be taken to build the fan base for traditional college sports, including football and basketball? What steps can be taken to keep college sports morally and ethically relevant? How will the NCAA deal with the growing divide between major (supposedly revenue-producing) and minor (nonrevenue) sports? How can the NCAA affect the trend of social values toward participation as a right rather than a privilege? Why should the NCAA conduct national championships? Is there such a thing as a level playing field? How can the NCAA provide more opportunities to more athletes in more sports? How can NCAA make the rules more user-friendly?

NCAA image: What is the NCAA brand? How can NCAA better market and promote its brand, vision, values and results?

Diversity: How will the NCAA respond to the increasing diversity (age, ethnicity and gender) of the college student population? How will we deal with the increased number of foreign student athletes? What steps can be taken in the hiring of people of color for traditional "closed jobs"?

NCAA organization: How can the NCAA gain anything close to a consensus with such a diverse membership and varying agendas? How can the NCAA deliver value to an increasingly diverse constituent group? How do you promote and legislate all sports under the umbrella of NCAA without a cookie-cutter approach? How will the Association be able to fund three or more divisions? How will the Association promote and increase participation? How can the NCAA support a mission of opportunity to all while dealing with budget constraints?

Economics of intercollegiate athletics: How can the NCAA help member institutions remain financially stable so that they can provide good experiences to student-athletes? How do you deal with the runaway economics of basketball and football? How will the NCAA deal with amateurism issues if schools begin to pay football and basketball athletes? How can an athletics department fund 20 to 24 Division I sports? How should conferences be controlled?

Safety and security: Will NCAA try to regulate safety issues, including terrorists' threats to fans and athletes? Will NCAA try to regulate safety for athletes in practice sessions?

Academic standards: How will the NCAA maintain academic standards? How can NCAA initial-eligibility standards work in concert with higher education (for example, high-school exit exams)? Will the NCAA legislate stricter guidelines for academic performance and take away scholarships for a lack of performance?

Regulation: How can the NCAA be rational about the different requirements for different sports? How will the NCAA promote development of the nation's physical and mental health? What member benefits can the NCAA provide to keep sports from leaving the organization? How will we deal with the "entertainment sports" in an overall athletics program? How/
why should sports be tiered or defined (for example, Tier 1, Tier 2, club)? How can the purpose of Title IX be better articulated and implemented? Should the NCAA have jurisdiction over all sports? Should the NCAA separate football/basketball from all other sports? How can the NCAA support the continued increase in female sports opportunities while stemming the decline in men's opportunities? What role should the NCAA play in the day-to-day lives of athletes and coaches? What role should the NCAA take in preventing ethical and health violations? Should the NCAA require equal support of all sports under its umbrella?

Other issues: How do we celebrate what is unique in each sport? How will NCAA deal with the possibility of women wanting to participate in men's sports against men? How will the organization deal with gambling? How will the organization deal with unethical behavior? What is the plan when the major football schools walk away from the NCAA? How will the NCAA address the desire to have a football playoff?

Participants were asked to provide one piece of advice for NCAA leadership as it embarks on planning strategically for the organization's future.

The planning process: Be bold and daring. Stay true to the mission of this fantastic project; do not get sidetracked by the current reality, competing factions or negative sentiments. The NCAA should stay committed to this exercise and use it to produce results that change the organization. Keep it simple. Look at the NCAA's values -- honesty, integrity, fairness and equality -- and do what you need to do to maintain them. Use the coaches associations instead of just asking us to adhere. Make the hard call to teach the lesson. Listen to everyone. Each sports group has specific issues that affect that sport; the NCAA needs to be flexible enough to develop a strategy that takes these differences into account. Include more ethnic minorities in these planning discussions. The NCAA should have a coaches committee, much like the student-athlete committees. Listen to the coaches; we know what is good for the sport, the students and -- through our organizations -- what's good for all levels.

Organization: Consider adding more divisions to make all entities happy. Remember that we are all in this together. Keep in mind that no one group of committees has the perfect set of ideas. Allow sport associations to help structure legislation for the benefit of the student-athlete and a more balanced implementation of the legislation. The NCAA's purpose is governance, and that governance must be shared governance. All subsets of the Association must have a feeling that they "own" the organization and its values. If governance is exacted through the Management Council and presidents, then those people need to ask themselves, "Is our department conducting business in the same manner and with the same expectations as all other departments?"

Student-athlete focus: Every student-athlete is equally important. The true value of the student-athlete experience is one of education -- not sport-skill development. The student-athlete's experience as a university student should be enhanced by his or her athletics participation. Education of the collegiate student-athlete should be the top priority of any sports program; thus, the NCAA needs to remember where it came from (that is, athletes playing for the love of the game through the avenues provided by their institution of choice) and do its best to regulate colleges and universities to recruit athletes who fit the profile of the institution and not the athlete who will make their sports program the "winningest." Student-athletes need access to resources to pursue individual and collective excellence -- coaching, teaching and counseling; efforts to limit those "in their best interests" may be limiting their abilities. Just as you wouldn't tell students that they can't have music lessons for part of the year, you must allow them reasonable access to athletics resources, whether they are elite or beginners level. Remember they chose to participate knowing what is demanded. Create a mind-set of valuing all athletes at all levels. Much of the value training will have to start within the NCAA membership. Go beyond football and basketball and provide for the majority of athletic participation.

What the NCAA can do in the future: Regulate sports individually on a case-by-case basis. Find a more consistent way to monitor compliance. Develop policies that encourage amateurism, yet thrive off of a professional environment (NCAA March Madness and football bowl games). Help presidents at universities control spending. If the NCAA does not act with great haste and care, football and basketball will destroy intercollegiate athletics. Figure out how to save all programs. Be aware of the concerns of all involved, not just the money-driven sports. Maintain your values and be fair to all. Be flexible in administration. Tighten admission standards so that more athletes graduate.

Values: See the NCAA as a leader in values. If the NCAA wants to encourage, promote and support a diverse and equal environment, it must eliminate the tier system in which some sports are viewed as being more important than others. Protect coaches and students. Remember that playing sports should be fun.