REPORT OF THE

NCAA MINORITY OPPORTUNITIES AND INTERESTS COMMITTEE (MOIC)

ACTION ITEMS.

· Legislative.

None.

· Nonlegislative.

Association-wide.

Ÿ Membership Sports Sponsorship Demographic Report.

(1) Recommendation. Endorse a recommendation to revise the Membership Sport Sponsorship Report to include the Race and Gender Demographic Report compiled by the NCAA research staff.

(2) Effective date. Fall 2007.

(3) Rationale. The membership services and research staff recommends combining the Membership Sport Sponsorship Report with the Race and Gender Demographic Report. The goal of the proposal is to increase efficiency by combining two data collection efforts. Furthermore, inasmuch as the sports sponsorship report is mandatory and the race and gender demographics report is voluntary, combining the two research requests would increase the overall response rate and provide real time data. The committee unanimously approved the recommendation.

(4) Estimated budget impact. None.

(5) Student-athlete impact. None.

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS.

Association-wide.

1. Hiring status of minority coaches and administrators, and diversity of student-athletes update. Richard Lapchick, director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida, addressed the committee regarding proactive approaches to affect change specific to the status of racial/ethnic minority coaches and administrators and diversity of student-athletes. Lapchick informed committee members about his partnership with the Black Coaches Association (BCA) and noted that C. Keith Harrison co-founder of Scholar-Baller, Paul Robeson Research Center for Academic and Athletic Prowess, will be joining the institute this summer. Lapchick noted that the institute is revising its process on how to evaluate the hiring process. The committee requested Lapchick’s input on the lack of coaches of color at the Division III level, and Lapchick noted the necessity of increased public pressure as one of several ways to address the issue. Staff referred the committee to the Division II NCAA “Best Hiring Practice” manual, which is a resource available to the membership to enhance the hiring opportunities for racial/ethnic minority and female candidates. The committee expressed its appreciation and support of Lapchick’s work.

2. Overview of NCAA initiatives to promote gender and ethnic diversity in intercollegiate athletics. Staff provided an overview of NCAA initiatives to promote gender and racial/ ethnic diversity in intercollegiate athletics and informed the committee about programs to increase the pool of minorities and women in coaching and administration.

a. Internship Program. The NCAA Internship Program recently commenced its 2006-07 class, which boasts 14 interns, seven males and seven females.

b. NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women’s Enhancement Programs Postgraduate Scholarship for Careers in Athletics. The staff indicated that it may enhance the program by inviting scholarship recipients to the national office for postprogram workshops/seminars. The committee expressed its support of staff’s idea.

c. Divisions II and III Strategic Alliance Matching Grant Programs. The staff noted that a tracking system has been developed to collect career information on participants in the program on an annual basis. Staff noted additional NCAA programs designed to provide professional development and career advancement opportunities for minorities and women currently in their profession.

d. NCAA Fellows Leadership Development Program. The staff noted that since its inception in 1997, 33 individuals have been selected, all of whom have completed the program. Currently, 85 percent of former NCAA Fellows hold senior-level positions, including five directors of athletics and two associate commissioners.

e. NCAA Leadership Institution for Ethnic Minority Males and Females. The staff noted the success of the NCAA Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males and Females and noted that the first class of females will graduate June 29, 2006. The committee also received an update on both the NCAA Men’s and Expert Football Coaches Academies. Staff noted the newly created NCAA Women of Color Coaches Academy that will address the critical need to increase the pool of women of color coaches in intercollegiate athletics. The committee requested an update on the Work/Life Balance Summit.

3. Yesterday, today and tomorrow: challenges of MOIC. Charlie Whitcomb, former MOIC committee chair, addressed the committee about the history, purpose and future of MOIC. Whitcomb expressed his concern about the lack of diverse representation in athletics administration in comparison to the diverse student-athlete population. Whitcomb recalled his interaction with the NCAA in the mid-1980s with regard to the formation of a task force to address diversity and indicated that the task force address several key areas such as: (a) the need for the Association to diversify the national office staff and high-level athletics administrators; (b) implementation and review of developmental programs for student-athletes; and (c) providing and enhancing opportunities for coaches and administrators. Whitcomb noted that the task force’s commitment was centered on the desire to make a difference.

Regarding the Native American Mascot issue, Whitcomb expressed his support of the committee’s position regarding the use of Native American mascots and imagery at NCAA championships. Whitcomb noted that the committee “must be the conscience of the Association” and cited the committee’s involvement in other significant legislation. Whitcomb expressed concern over the issue regarding prep schools and encouraged the committee to become involved in reviewing these standards in light of the student-athletes of color who would be affected.

On the committee’s partnership with the Committee on Women’s Athletics, Whitcomb noted the shared interests and emphasized collaboration, noting that the role of the committee is the inclusion of everyone. Finally, Whitcomb encouraged the committee to continue its development of and accountability for each of the MOIC sponsored programs. The committee extended its appreciation to Whitcomb for his comments and for his participation as dean of the Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males and Females.

4. MOIC mission statement and 2006-08 strategic plan. The committee addressed the evolution of the committee’s mission and noted that, with regard to the mission statement and strategic plan, a review of the terminology was necessary. After considerable discussion, the committee unanimously agreed that subsequent to the first sentence of the mission statement, all references to the term “minority” should be replaced by “racial/ethnic minority.” The committee agreed to review the use of the term “ethnic” in the first sentence of the mission statement and requested that staff provide them with additional background information. The committee also unanimously agreed to reflect the terminology revision in the strategic plan. Members of the MOIC long-range strategic plan subcommittee will review proposed changes and present revisions of both documents to the full committee at the January 2007 meeting.

5. BCA update. Floyd Keith, president of the BCA, provided an update on BCA initiatives. Keith noted that, during its recent annual convention, BCA members expressed concern about institutions in states where the Confederate battle flag is displayed, hosting super-regional baseball championship. The staff explained that the Confederate flag policy only applies to predetermined championship sites and that in the sport of baseball the sites are not predetermined, with the exception of the College World Series. Staff explained that a number one seed in a region usually hosts that event and, if they win theregion, they will most likely host the super regional, which occurred in the case at hand. Furthermore, staff noted the distinction between the Confederate flag and Native American policies as it relates to predetermined sites. The committee requested that staff provide additional information about the Confederate flag issue to determine whether further action is necessary regarding the distinction between predetermined and non-predetermined NCAA championship sites. Keith described the BCA report card process and, specifically, the analysis used to grade an institution’s hiring practices. The committee expressed its support of the BCA hiring report card and discussed ways to hold institutions accountable for their hiring practices if they receive a low score. Also, Keith updated the committee on the BCA Achieving Coaching Excellence (A.C.E.) program, noting that its success rates are remarkable in that seven participants in the program have attained head coaching positions within the membership. Lastly, Keith noted that the BCA is currently considering a possible name change in order to bring its mission in line with its membership.

6. New coaching initiatives. Staff reported on the newly formed NCAA Future Football Coaches Academy starting in January 2007, which will provide individuals who have recently completed their collegiate eligibility with an understanding of the college coaching experience. The academy will receive support from the American Football Coaches Association, the BCA and the National Football League. Additionally, the committee noted its approval of the expansion of the BCA Hiring Report Card, which will include a survey of women’s basketball. Finally, the Men’s Basketball Coaches Academy is being created to address issues related to coaching opportunities raised during the National Association of Basketball Coaches annual meeting.

7. NCAA national office racial/ethnic and gender demographics report. The committee received an update on the NCAA national office racial/ethnic and gender demographics report and requested semiannual updates on the report in the future. The committee noted that within the governance, membership services and research group (GMSR) at the national office, an accountability measure to track racial/ethnic minority hires has been implemented.

8. NCAA Diversity Leadership Strategic Planning Committee. Staff updated the committee on the NCAA Diversity Leadership Strategic Planning Committee and noted that the charge of the committee was to identify strategies and recommendations that will enable the NCAA to foster the diversity of student-athletes; promote a climate of inclusion within intercollegiate athletics; enhance equitable career opportunities for underrepresented coaches, officials and administrators; and strengthen the support, integration and promotion of women’s sports within intercollegiate athletics. The Leadership Committee expects to conclude its work and report out to the membership in January 2007.

9. Racial/Ethnic Minority Representation within the NCAA Governance Structure. The committee discussed the lack of racial/ethnic minority representation within the NCAA committee structure, and requested information about the selection process. Staff informed the committee about the process and noted ongoing efforts to recruit and increase the pool of racial/ethnic minority committee members. Committee members expressed disappointment over the lack of Division I faculty athletics representatives (FAR) of color and Charlotte Westerhaus, vice-president of the office for diversity and inclusion, noted that she plans to meet with the FAR executive board in October 2006 to discuss ways to address the issue. The committee requested a report on the qualifications needed to serve on committees, as well as the racial/ethnic demographic makeup for all NCAA committees.

10. American Indian Mascot appeals update. The committee received an update on the American Indian mascot appeals.

11. Update on the NCAA Office for Diversity and Inclusion. The committee received an update on the office for diversity and inclusion (ODI). The update focused on the adding of new staff members and current ODI projects.

Division I only.

12. NCAA Committee on Academic Performance/academic performance rate (APR) update. Membership services staff provided the committee with an update on APR, with a special emphasis on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The committee noted the negative impact of the APR on HBCUs and requested clarity on why it appeared that HBCUs were disproportionately affected by the APR.

Staff informed the committee about the NCAA Division I Board of Directors directive to reward teams that demonstrate commitment toward academic progress of student-athletes and penalize those that do not. Staff noted that some institutions are eligible for relief and that only about 50 percent of the penalized institutions would be negatively affected in that those institutions would not have been able to offer scholarships.

The staff also informed the committee about initiatives to support team APR improvement and noted a matching grant program for resource-challenged institutions. In addition to the grant program, staff noted educational resources would be available to institutions, regarding the development of an online curriculum, a possible summer institute or workshop on best practices, as well as a consultant’s bureau.

The committee noted that many HBCUs consider themselves to be “open access” institutions and that status can be detrimental to their APR. The committee suggested that staff research how the APR can be better reflected for open access institutions. The committee encouraged greater efforts to educate and create awareness about the effects of the APR on HBCUs and noted that there was a perception that HBCU academic standards were poor overall and that the mission of HBCUs was not generally understood. Staff noted the disproportionate representation of HBCUs on the March 1, 2006, release date and indicated that the list was incomplete because schools with greater resources were appealing. Staff solicited the committee’s input regarding future academic performance initiatives.

13. NCAA Committee on Athletics Certification initiatives. The MOIC received an update from the membership services staff on NCAA Committee on Athletics Certification initiatives with regard to NCAA operating principle 3.2 Minority Issues. It discussed ways to increase accountability of institutions in their efforts to comply with the operating principle and talked about proposed revisions to the second and third cycle of the institutional self-study instrument. The MOIC noted that it might be helpful to include statistics in the self-study guide as a way to engage the campus community with the material being shared. It encouraged greater diversity of the peer reviewer pool and discussed ways to solicit members. The MOIC athletics certification subcommittee will convene to discuss recommendations for the Committee on Athletics Certification.

Committee Chair: Robert C. Vowels, Southwestern Athletic Conference

Staff Liaisons: Charlotte Westerhaus, Office for Diversity and Inclusion

Curtis Hollomon, Education Services

Corey Jackson, Office for Diversity and Inclusion

Dea Shipps, Enforcement Services