The NCAA announced Thursday, Jan. 24, that leaders from outside higher education will join college and university presidents on the board that governs college sports.听More than 1,000 representatives from schools and conferences in all three NCAA divisions came together Thursday for a historic vote aimed at increasing objectivity and adding fresh perspectives to the NCAA Board of Governors, the association鈥檚 highest-ranking governance body.
Chancellor Philip DiStefano
CU Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano sits on the NCAA Board of Governors and Division I Board of Directors. DiStefano voted in favor of the addition of five leaders from outside higher education鈥攑erhaps from the government, nonprofit or corporate sectors鈥攖o the Board of Governors.
鈥淕iven the issues that have come up these past couple of years in men鈥檚 basketball and the recommendations from the Rice Commission, it was clear to me that the perception is we are having a difficult time in some cases governing ourselves, and bringing in external members will assist us in being seen as more objective,鈥� said DiStefano.
The current Board of Governors includes 16 college and university presidents and chancellors representing each division as voting members; the chairs of the Division I Council and the Division II and III Management Councils as ex-officio nonvoting members; and the NCAA president. The five independent voting members will not be salaried employees of an NCAA member school, conference or affiliated organization.
According to the , the Board of Governors has contracted a third-party search firm, Heidrick & Struggles, to filter and vet candidates. Nominations may be submitted by NCAA members or the public. The Board of Governors executive committee, which includes presidents and chancellors from all three divisions, is the nominating committee for independent board members and will make recommendations to the full board for approval.
Broadened representation on the NCAA Board of Governors was among the recommendations of the听, an independent group led by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, which was formed in response to a federal investigation into corruption in college basketball. The commission made recommendations aimed at repairing the culture that allowed the problems to fester.听 Division I already has implemented many of the commission鈥檚 recommendations.
In other NCAA convention news, student-athletes in the Division I autonomy conferences won to mental health services and resources under legislation adopted unanimously by the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern conferences. The proposal was sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference.
鈥淭his is an issue for all students at our institutions, and since the NCAA oversees collegiate athletics we wanted to make sure we were offering clear direction,鈥� DiStefano said.听鈥淎ll students should have access to health and wellness services.鈥�
The legislation requires all schools to make mental health services and resources available through the athletics department or the school鈥檚 health services or counseling services department.听
