Releases and Statements

On the heels of the NCAA’s announcement that 112 Division I teams will be penalized for failing to meet minimum academic performance standards, and are aware that tougher times are ahead, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics strongly urged college presidents to resist pressure to weaken the reforms. The Commission heard and discussed an NCAA report on Division I academic performance standards and also heard Big 12 Commissioner Kevin Weiberg discuss sweeping rules changes addressing academic underperformance by baseball players. Also at the meeting, NCAA officials released financial data showing that only 7 percent (22 of 313) of Division I athletics departments generated more money than they spent when institutional subsidies such as student fees are excluded—contrary to the public perception that athletics departments generate profits for their institutions.

William E. “Brit” Kirwan, Chancellor of the University System of Maryland, presides over first meeting as co-chairman; NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti and Northwestern President Henry Bienen join Commission Who: R. Gerald Turner, President of Southern Methodist University and Co-Chairman of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics William E. “Brit” Kirwan, Chancellor, University System…

The session reviewed the state of gender equity in intercollegiate athletics, 35 years after the passage of Title IX; the recruiting environment and process and whether its current state is healthy for prospects, coaches, and institutions; and, academic values in the recruiting process.

WASHINGTON—Following a working meeting here, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics announced that John J. DeGioia has joined the Commission. President of Georgetown for the past five years, DeGioia has been an administrator and professor at the Washington, D.C., institution since his graduation in 1979. At its meeting, the Knight Commission reviewed a final draft…