Introduction
The integration of intercollegiate athletics with academics and the entire campus community is the fundamental principle of NCAA Division III. It is a topic that continues to evoke questions and conversations. At the 2007 NCAA Convention Debbie Lazorik, Director of Athletics, PE & Recreation at Marietta College, presented the findings of her sabbatical: Integration-Education & Athletics, a Model for Success. The findings indicate that there are various challenges to successful campus integration and that there is a need to provide more information and resources to the membership. Presidents, trustees, administrators, coaches, faculty and student-athletes are searching for ways in which to improve upon integration or in some cases, to identify a starting point.
In response to the membership’s desire for more information as well as an expansion of the Best Practices, a small working group was formed to continue what was begun in the sabbatical project. In addition, the group reviewed various documents from the College Sports Project and from individuals who have published work on integration. The members of the working group are George Kolb, Director of Athletics, Roger Williams University; Betsy Mitchell, Director of Athletics & Recreation, Allegheny College; Paul Plinske, Director of Athletics, Wisconsin-Whitewater; and Debbie Lazorik.
The second phase of the sabbatical was a charge to the working group to develop a document that would serve as a guide to integration. Included in the guide is a description of integration, what it might look like from various perspectives (e.g. Trustees/CEO, college administrators, coach, student-athlete, faculty) and finally, a resource toolbox of ideas and programs.
The NCAA staff and the Division III governance structure have given their support to this project. Ideally, each of our member institutions is striving for an integrated intercollegiate athletics program. The following document is intended to provide your campus with useful and meaning information as you move forward toward achieving a more integrated intercollegiate athletics program.
Fundamental Principle
From its inception, Division III has recognized the importance of integration. To begin with, the NCAA Division III Manual provides us with the guiding principle of integration. On page 1, Article 1.3 states:
The competitive athletics programs of member institutions are designed to be a vital part of the educational system. A basic purpose of the Association is to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the education program and the athlete as an integral part of the student body and, by so doing, retain a clear line of demarcation between intercollegiate athletics and professional sports.
Further, the Division III philosophy statement includes several commitments to integration (excerpts from Bylaw 20.11 are included below):
(f) Assure that athletics participants are not treated differently from other members of the student body;
(g) Assure that athletics programs support the institution's educational mission by financing, staffing and controlling the programs through the same general procedures as other departments of the institution. Further, the administration of an institution's athletics program (e.g., hiring, compensation, professional development, certification of coaches) should be integrated into the campus culture and educational mission;
(h) Assure that athletics recruitment complies with established institutional policies and procedures applicable to the admission process;
(i) Assure that academic performance of student-athletes is, at a minimum, consistent with that of the general student body;
(j) Assure that admission policies for student-athletes comply with policies and procedures applicable to the general student body.
In the following paragraphs, key words or phrases will be highlighted in bold. You may use these words as you develop and implement your plan for integration.
Communication/What Integration Can Look Like
The above policy helps to create a common vocabulary when talking about integration. Developing a communication plan on campus is important to achieving integration and allows for effective communication across the various constituencies of the institution. The ultimate goal is to be able to “live it (integration) more”. Integration becomes the way in which the institution goes about its business; which is the education of students. At its best, integration is seamless, comes naturally and is functional on a daily basis.
The first step in achieving integration is for athletics professionals to accept the role to initiate and be proactive in educating all campus members on the role of intercollegiate athletics. That means it is important for athletics administrators and coaches to get out of the office and have a presence on the campus in a variety of ways, both formal and informal. Building relationships is at the core of an integrated program. Collaborating and forming partnerships with each unit on campus is important and necessary to developing the trust and mutual understanding critical to achieving integration. It is important to note that integration is intentional.
Develop an institutional success model that is specific to the goals and expectations for teams, coaches and student-athletes. It is important that the model reflect the institutional mission and objectives. There is no one way to define integration; identify what works best for your institution, keeping in mind the experience of the student-athlete. Identify shared goals among constituencies on campus and look for common threads; develop an athletics curriculum that focuses on goal setting, learning outcomes, and assessment.
Integration must be embraced at all levels of leadership. It is important, at some point, to have key campus leaders at the table for an institutional conversation on the role of intercollegiate athletics. That may take the form of a Trustee meeting, President’s Cabinet, faculty meeting or an all campus forum.
Checklist
Although at the core of integration is the integration of athletics and academics, it is important to take a comprehensive view of integration. The list below provides you with a checklist of the various areas within an institution. Ask the following questions of each area: What role does athletics play? What is the partnership? Collaboration?
The goal of a comprehensive view of integration is to create a culture where collaboration, partnerships and effective communication become second nature in the operations and services (academic and non academic) of the institution.
Perspectives
In achieving integration, it is important to understand the complexity of perspectives that need to come together. Each constituent may/will have a unique perspective of what an integrated athletic department represents. In addition, intercollegiate athletics intersects (or should) with every unit on campus, therefore, making it important to mesh (seamless) the goals and operations of each unit.
What integration looks like from the:
Trustee/CEO
A Trustee and or CEO must be able to articulate an educational mission that includes intercollegiate athletics and shared goals. They must be able to speak from a common language and send the institutional message to any and all audiences with whom they interact.
College Administration
College/university administrators look for quantitative and qualitative measure that are indicators of integration, e.g. team GPA, academic honors, wins and losses, community service and student life participation. They look for “representativeness” and for student-athlete participation in campus activities.
Student-Athlete
The student-athletes look for visible support at contests and events, faculty support for missed classes and a consistent application of institutional policies. They strive for academic and athletic excellence and want assurance they will be supported to succeed in both.
Coach
Coaches want to feel valued for their role on campus and want to be viewed as having an important role in the education of student-athletes. Coaches also desire a consistent approach to when student-athletes encounter conflicts between academics and athletics.
Faculty
Faculty want to be educated on the role of athletics and how it contributes to the mission of the institution. Faculty also desire a consistent policy on the issue of missed class. They have an inherent desire for academic pursuits to be the first priority of the institution, rather than feeling as if athletic pursuits are the student’s or institution’s priority.
Resource TOOL BOX
This section organizes the various resources that are available to each institution. It is intended to provide you with useful and meaning information, whether you have been successful with integration and want to do better or if you are looking for how to get started.
Related to Academics:
Related to Community Service:
Related to Publicity:
Related to College Administration:
Miscellaneous:
A brainstorming session focusing on integration can result in new and exciting ideas for your campus. A session may be a part of a staff retreat, an opening convocation or an all campus conversation. Faculty, staff and students should be included. You may want to ask a faculty member from the Communications Department or an administrator to facilitate or assign faculty/coach partners to serve as facilitators and recorders.
Summary
Centre College President, John Roush, said it best when he suggested that in order for intercollegiate athletics to have a chance to truly be integrated into the life of a college, all parties must think of the effort in very intentional terms, and it should be approached in the same manner as other important challenges on our campuses.
An integrated intercollegiate athletics program provides a model for success. Each student-athlete’s educational experience will be enhanced and each team will be positioned for success; academically, competitively and socially.
As you strive for an integrated intercollegiate athletics program, this document can serve as a valuable resource to stimulate discussion and ideas but most importantly, it provides you with the means to take action toward a fully integrated intercollegiate athletics program; the fundamental principle of NCAA Division III.
September 1, 2007