Presidential Perspectives
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Presidential Responsibility Extends Beyond the Sidelines |
On every college campus there is a unique place where thousands of students, faculty, staff, and community members gather frequently. For Towson University, and many other NCAA Division I institutions, it is common for our athletic fields, stadium, or sports arena to be that place.
As part of our mantra, metropolitan university presidents must be committed to our surrounding communities and share key resources such as teaching, research, and service. Successful athletic programs, another resource, can be a powerful force on our metropolitan and urban campuses in bringing community to the campus and vice versa. However, if clear expectations are not in place at every level, the athletic program can also be a force that contradicts the very mission and purpose of an academic institution rather than support it. In a time when many athletes have brief stints on college rosters to increase their draft and professional career prospects, the concern about “professionalizing” of collegiate athletics is legitimate. At a time when an invitation to a bowl game can yield millions of dollars in revenue, there is cause for concern. It is the responsibility of university presidents to be actively engaged in their athletic programs and not standing on the sidelines. Presidents must set policy, establish goals, outline outcomes, provide support, and always stress the importance of being a student first.
At Towson University, we face many of the same issues that trouble institutions with high profile sports programs. Unlike many of those programs, when the NCAA’s Academic Performance Rates (APR) were released this year, every athletic team at Towson exceeded the 925 cut off score. Contrary to popular belief, the APR, which the NCAA uses to measure eligibility and retention of student-athletes, is meant to be a tool not a penalty for presidents to establish or maintain the connection between academics and athletics. Towson’s APR success was more strategic than a lucky crunch of the numbers. We have taken significant steps to increase oversight and to foster integration of scholastics and sports. Two steps include integrating the Athletic Director as a member university’s administrative leadership and keeping our mission to provide quality education for all of our students at the forefront.
In our leadership structure, our AD is engaged in campus-wide policy decisions—related or unrelated to athletics. The AD’s presence on the President’s Council, serving alongside Vice Presidents, allows for an on-going exchange of information that gives all members better perspective on how specific policy decisions impact student-athletes, and how an athletic action may affect other parts of campus.
Our NCAA compliance staff and academic advisors maintain close ties with Academic Affairs, and incorporate academics at every conceivable junction. The Faculty Athletic Representative reports directly to the president’s office, and our Intercollegiate Athletic Committee derives authority directly from the president’s office. Athletes who find themselves in tenuous academic and non-academic situations meet with a panel of senior administrators from Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and University Counsel. Our student-athletes realize that only a small percentage of them will graduate to careers in professional sports, but each has the opportunity to get the best possible preparation for success beyond athletics.
Towson University has the leadership structure and safeguards for student-athletes that advance our educational mission. Everyone wins when an athletic program strikes the appropriate balance between academics and athletics. Thriving, competitive sports teams that can retain athletes on their roster attract attention to a university’s academic programs and can also increase enrollment and funding.
Sports, as the world witnessed during the 2008 Olympic Games, have the remarkable power to bring together people of all backgrounds, whether they are the fans or the athletes, and propel them into a thrilling experience. A president must be willing to take a leadership role in providing both balance and integrity to control this powerful force on your campus. Without a doubt it requires attention and personal effort. But if you are willing to do this, you will be giving your student-athletics a college experience that will be invaluable to them both on and off the field. And, you will develop a major resource for the campus and the community.
Robert L. Caret is currently serving as President of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities. He also served on the NCAA Future of Intercollegiate Athletics and on the Subcommittee on Presidential Leadership of Internal and External Constituencies. Dr. Caret has previously written on the university president’s role in athletics.
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