Three liberal arts colleges in the Philadelphia area are presenting what organizers are describing as a "first-of-its-kind" Division III Coaches Institute.

The host colleges expect up to 50 young coaches and administrators from Division III institutions across the nation to participate in the event June 6-8 at Haverford College, which is co-sponsoring the event with Bryn Mawr College and Swarthmore College.

The 21/2-day workshop is designed to encourage participants to think about the role of athletics within Division III institutions' educational mission.

"It's really an attempt to provide education for young and new coaches and administrators in Division III, and to try to focus on issues -- not so much the X's and O's of coaching, but the reasons for coaching, and the things that make Division III athletics interesting, unique and worthwhile," said William A. Roth, a development officer at Haverford who serves as executive director for the institute.

"The institute is focusing on four key themes," he said. "One is admissions and recruiting, a second will be ethics and sportsmanship, the third really will be about how athletics can be used to advance institutional mission and institutional culture, and the fourth will be a look at what is the value of success and winning in Division III; what are the lessons that coaches have to offer student-athletes."

A varied group of speakers, including representatives of the sponsoring colleges and coaches and administrators from other institutions, will be present to lead discussions about those subjects.

Featured speakers include Dan Dutcher, NCAA vice-president for Division III, who will serve as keynote speaker for the institute's final session, exploring Division III philosophy and practice. Also presenting keynote addresses will be Fred Hargadon, College Board president and former director of admissions at Princeton and Stanford Universities and Swarthmore, and Alfred Bloom, president at Swarthmore.

The institute will be organized into the following topical sessions, featuring the listed speakers:

Recruiting and Admissions (early Sunday afternoon) -- Bob Malekoff, former director of athletics at the College of Wooster and Connecticut College; and Chris Lanser, associate director of admissions at Wesleyan University (Connecticut) and, along with the College Board's Hargadon, a former basketball player at Haverford.

Ethics and Sportsmanship (late Sunday afternoon) -- Sandra Slabik, professor and coordinator of sport management and faculty athletics representative at Neumann College and a member of the NCAA Division III Management Council; and Scott Devine, director of athletics at St. Mary's College of Maryland and former associate athletics director at Tulane University.

Appreciating Institutional Mission and Culture (Monday morning) -- Karen Borbee, women's lacrosse coach at Swarthmore and a National Lacrosse Hall of Fame honoree who played at the University of Delaware; and Mike Walsh, director of athletics at Washington and Lee University and former baseball coach at Dartmouth College.

The Value of Winning and Success (Monday afternoon) -- John Gagliardi, head football coach at St. John's College (Minnesota) and college football's most victorious coach; and Harry Sheehy, director of athletics and former men's basketball coach at Williams College.

"We believe the geographic diversity and variety of schools sending representatives will really spur a lively discussion and a comprehensive understanding about the spectrum of Division III," Roth said.

"We are hopeful that the institute will provide a good forum for young coaches and administrators to learn from our faculty and from one another about issues that focus our attention on why we do things in Division III the way we do, and how best we can achieve the goals of Division III athletics at our respective institutions."

Others participating in organizing the institute are Amy Campbell, director of athletics at Bryn Mawr; Adam Hertz, director of athletics at Swarthmore; Gregory Kannerstein, director of athletics at Haverford, and Bob Williams, former athletics director at Swarthmore.

Applications to participate must be submitted by May 28. Further information, including details about the registration fee and lodging options, can be obtained from the Swarthmore athletics Web site (http://www.swarthmore.
edu/athletics/coachinst.pdf).