Lipscomb seeks comment on NCAA draft reports
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Draft reports resulting from a campus-wide self-study of the Lipscomb
University athletics program are now available for public comment,
President Steve Flatt announced.
The three reports have been
compiled as part of a required NCAA Division I athletics certification
program, and analyze the university’s academic integrity, commitment to
governance and rules compliance, and equity and welfare of
student-athletes, Flatt said.
Public responses to the drafts will
be considered in compiling final reports to be submitted to the NCAA,
Flatt said. The draft reports may be downloaded from links included in
this story, and a link to an e-mail response form is also included.
Responses will be accepted through Aug. 31.
The NCAA athletics
certification program is similar to academic accreditation processes
that are common to universities, but focuses solely on certification of
athletics programs, Flatt said.
The purpose of the program is to
help ensure integrity in the institution’s athletics operations by
opening athletics to the rest of the university community and to the
public. Institutions benefit by increasing campus-wide awareness and
knowledge of the athletics program, confirming its strengths and
developing plans to improve in areas of concern, according to an NCAA
press release.
Within each area to be studied by the committee,
the NCAA has established standards, or “operating principles,” by which
all Division I members are evaluated. The committee responsible for the
study includes Flatt, athletics director Steve Potts, general counsel
and certification steering committee chair Phil Ellenburg, members of
the university faculty and staff, and athletics department personnel.
Once the university has concluded its study, which is scheduled for October
2004, an external team of reviewers from other NCAA Division I
institutions will conduct a evaluation visit on campus. The committee
will determine the institution’s certification status and announce the
decision publicly.
Lipscomb recently completed its first year of
full membership in NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference. The
Lady Bisons basketball team became the first in NCAA history to win its
conference tournament and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament in its
first year of competition.
The NCAA is a membership organization
of colleges and universities that participate in intercollegiate
athletics. The primary purpose of the association is to maintain
intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the educational program
and the athlete as an integral part of the student body. Activities of
NCAA membership include formulating rules of play for NCAA sports,
conducting national championships, adopting and enforcing standards of
eligibility, and studying all phases of intercollegiate athletics.
Download Self Study Draft (MS Word Document)
A PDF version of the document will be posted for download as soon as it is available.