November 13 , 2006

UA Begins NCAA Athletics Certification Process

The University has begun a year-long, campuswide effort to study its athletics program as part of the NCAA Division I athletics certification program. The study will cover academic integrity, governance and commitment to rules compliance, as well as commitment to equity and student-athlete welfare.

UA President Robert E. Witt has appointed a steering committee and three subcommittees to conduct the self-study. Provost Judy Bonner will chair the steering committee. Members of the committees represent a broad range of academic disciplines and include a mix of faculty, non-athletic administrative staff and representatives of the athletics department. (See list of committee members.)

“The self-study is an extremely important part of the athletics certification process. We welcome input from faculty, staff and students as we complete this work over the next several months,” Bonner said.

While academic accreditation is common in colleges and universities, this program focuses solely on athletics programs. Following a pilot project, the NCAA Division I membership overwhelmingly supported the program and its standards at the 1993 NCAA Convention.

UA completed its first certification selfstudy in 1999. At the 1997 convention, the Division I membership voted to change the frequency of athletics certification from once every five years to once every 10 years and to require a five-year interim-status report. The current self-study will be the second in the certification process for UA.

The certification program helps ensure integrity in an institution’s athletics operations. Institutions benefit by increasing campuswide awareness and knowledge of the athletics program, confirming its strengths and developing plans to improve areas of concern.

After the University has concluded its study, an external team of reviewers will conduct an evaluation visit on campus. Reviewers include peers from other colleges, universities or conference offices. That team will report to the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification, another independent group. The committee will then determine the institution’s certification status and announce the decision publicly. Sanctions can be imposed on institutions that fail to conduct a comprehensive self-study or to correct problems.

Questions about the self-study should be directed to Bonner; Chris King, associate athletic director for compliance; or Dr. Joe Hornsby, faculty athletics representative.

Self-Study Steering Committee for Athletics Certification
Dr. Judy Bonner, Steering Committee Chair, and Provost and Executive Vice President
Dr. Hank Lazer, Chair, Governance and Rules Committee and Associate Provost
Dr. Carmen Taylor, Chair, Academic Integrity Committee and Associate Dean and Chief Information Officer, College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Cheree Causey, Chair, Equity and Student Athlete Welfare Committee and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs
Dr. Joe Hornsby, Chief Self-Study Report Writer and Director of Blount Undergraduate Initiative, Faculty Athletics Representative
Chris King, Institutional Liaison to Peer Review Team and NCAA Staff and Associate Athletics Director, Compliance
Dr. Robert E. Witt, President
Mal Moore, Director of Athletics
Dr. John Vincent, Professor of Chemistry and President of the Faculty Senate
Dr. Samory Pruitt, Vice President for Community Affairs
Cathy Andreen, Director of Media Relations Maggie Lester, Junior, Communication and Information Sciences
John Moultrie, Junior, Arts and Sciences
Jackie Wilkins, Former Student-Athlete, Graduate Student, Sports Management
Kevin Almond, Associate Athletics Director, Administration
Marie Robbins, Associate Athletics Director, SWA
Greg Sankey, Southeastern Conference (Ex-Officio)

Governance and Rules Compliance Committee
Dr. Hank Lazer, Chair
Dr. Loy Singleton, Dean, College of Communication and Information Sciences
Dr. Joe Hornsby, Faculty Athletics Representative
Greg Singleton, Director, Engineering Student Services
Mary Spiegel, Executive Director, Undergraduate Admissions
Dr. John Vincent, Professor of Chemistry and President, Faculty Senate
Jackie Wilkins, Former Student-Athlete, Graduate Student, Sports Management
Chris King, Associate Athletics Director for Compliance, (Ex-Officio)
Wendell Hudson, Associate Athletics Director for Alumni Affairs, (Ex-Officio)

Academic Integrity Committee
Dr. Carmen Taylor, Chair
Dr. Milla Boschung, Dean, College of Human Environmental Sciences
Elva Bradley, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning
Dr. Michael George, University Registrar
Dr. Larry Kohl, Professor of History
Dr. Lou Marino, Professor of Management
Dr. Catherine Pagani, Professor of Art History
Charles Gary, Sophomore, Commerce and Business Administration
Jon Dever, Assistant Athletics Director, Academic Services, (Ex-Officio)
Karin Lee, Assistant Athletics Director, Life Skills, (Ex-Officio)

Equity and Student Athlete Welfare Committee
Dr. Cheree Causey, Chair
Dr. Samory Pruitt, Vice President for Community Affairs
Dr. Kathleen Cramer, Senior Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
Dr. Ike Adams, Dean, School of Social Work
Dr. Kim Campbell, Professor of Management and Marketing
Gwendolyn Hood, Director of Equal Opportunity Programs and University Compliance Officer
Dr. Ken Wright, Professor of Consumer Sciences
Sarah Yates, Sophomore, Public Relations
Kevin Almond, Associate Athletics Director, (Ex-Officio)
Marie Robbins, Associate Athletics Director, Senior Women's Administrator, (Ex-Officio)

UA Home | Dialog Extra | UA News | Faculty/Staff Links | Legislative Updates