The NCAA Board of Governors on Thursday expanded the number of members of the Constitution Committee to 28 people from 23. All three divisions added members, including a faculty athletics representative and a historically Black college and university president. The Constitution Committee will hold its first meeting next week.
The committee is charged with identifying the core principles that define college sports. Members also must propose a new governance model that allows for quicker change without sacrificing broader values, which must be reaffirmed or redefined. The committee will be chaired by former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M.Gates, one of five independent members of the Board of Governors and former president at Texas A&M.
"NCAA schools and conferences have been actively engaged as we prepare for the important work ahead for the Association," said Jack DeGioia, chair of the Board of Governors and president of Georgetown. "We have heard from a range of diverse perspectives from all facets of intercollegiate athletics and we are responding to the feedback we have received from our members. We are now prepared to move forward with our first meeting next week with the full committee in place."
The additional members are:
- Javaune Adams-Gaston — President, Norfolk State.
- Stevie Baker-Watson — Director of athletics, DePauw.
- Donald Bruce — Faculty athletics representative, Tennessee-Knoxville.
- Patrick Chun — Director of athletics, Washington State.
- Harry Stinson — Director of athletics, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania.
The Board of Governorsrecently announcedits historic decision to convene a special convention in November, with action expected to be taken at the NCAA Convention in January. The special constitutional convention is intended to propose dramatic changes to the NCAA constitution to reimagine aspects of college sports so the Association can more effectively meet the needs of current and future college athletes.
Membership will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the working draft of proposals at the special convention, which will convene no later than Nov. 15. The final proposals will be provided to the NCAA Board of Governors by Dec. 15 and scheduled for votes in January by the full membership at the NCAA Convention.