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Georgetown President John J. DeGioia Joins Knight Commission

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

Are presidents in control?

Fifteen years after the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics initial report (click on “reports” above for a copy), the Kansas City Star took a look at the state of presidential control of intercollegiate athletics. The results, according to reporter Blair Kerkhoff, are mixed.

Do college athletes receive preferential academic support?

How does the academic support athletes receive differ from that available to the general student body? That is a question recently asked in a recent article by the New York Times (link here, subscription required). The article notes that many of the nation’s top athletic programs have recently invested significant funds in their athletic-academic programs.

“Special admits” for sports raises academic concerns

Most, if not all, colleges admit athletes who either a) have lesser academic credentials than other students or b) would not have been admitted had it not been for their athletic abilities. Recent articles compared this practice for athletes to other specially talented students, with controversial conclusions. The San Diego Union-Tribune (link here) reported that

College sports and taxes

Last week, a hearing of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee discussed numerous financial issues in higher education, including tax write-offs for donations related to certain college sports. As reported in the Chronicle of Higher Education (link here, subscription required), the panel’s bipartisan leaders may call on the Internal Revenue Service to crack down on donor

Public Opinion Polls

Public Opinion Poll, Dec. 2005. PDF. Public Opinion Poll, Jan. 2006. PDF.

When to say when?

As the NCAA debates skyrocketing costs of college athletics programs at its annual convention this week, the public is left to ponder: how much is too much? Two recent headliners demonstrate the issue: the recent $32 million contract from the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa to Nick Saban to coach its football team; and, the approved $40

Gambling on player performances raises NCAA concerns

An article in the USA Today reported that gamblers are now being offered the opportunity to bet on Final Four game performances of individual players such as Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington of University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Derrick Rose and Joey Dorsey of the University of Memphis, Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers

Knight Commission to meet June 17 to discuss academic reforms, penalties for major rules violations

FOR RELEASE—May 14, 2008. CONTACT AND RSVP: Brian Wachur, Widmeyer Communications, 202.667.0901 or brian.wachur@widmeyer.com Media Advisory Georgia Tech men’s basketball coach Paul Hewitt and University of Hartford President Walt Harrison to discuss the academic challenges in men’s basketball and the impact of academic reforms Who: R. Gerald Turner, President of Southern Methodist University and Co-Chairman

NCAA penalties and self-monitoring practices called into question

The Indianapolis Star published an article on September 16 which highlights a discussion at the Knight Commission’s June meeting about the purpose and outcomes of self-monitoring practices by NCAA institutions. With a September 17 deadline for Indiana University to respond to NCAA charges of its “failure to monitor” its men’s basketball program, reporter Mike Alesia