On May 1 and 2, 2003, faculty leaders from all 12 SEC schools met to discuss general faculty governance issues and issues specifically related to the currently proposed NCAA reforms in intercollegiate athletics. We have the following statements and recommendations.
1 - We have officially formed the SEC Association of Faculty Leaders. Commissioner Slive has graciously offered the SEC Headquarters in Birmingham for our meeting next year which will be hosted by the University of Arkansas.
2 - As faculty representatives of the SEC universities, we endorse the efforts of the presidents and chancellors of Bowl Championship conference schools to formulate and enact proposals for significant reform of intercollegiate athletics. We urge the presidents and chancellors of our institutions to continue their cooperative efforts and to engage their faculties in this process.
Specific Recommendations from our four subcommittees:
Faculty Governance Subcommittee:
We recommend that faculty members be given a significant role in the oversight of athletic department activities, policies and personnel decisions.
Furthermore, it is the intention of this group to collect and share information regarding the academic oversight bodies at each member institution in order to identify best practices.
Student Welfare Subcommittee:
We will send two representatives - one from Alabama and one from Tennessee, to the October, 2003 meeting of the Student Athlete Representatives in Birmingham.
Costs and Commercialization Subcommittee:
We recommend that the NCAA and SEC examine the length of seasons, the number of competitions, and nontraditional season activities, and their impact on student welfare and academic performance.
We recommend that competition scheduling should be based on academic considerations and not on revenue considerations.
Academics Subcommittee:
We recommend that all student athletes who are admitted to member institutions should have a strong likelihood of academic success.
We recommend that the six-year graduation rate of student athletes should equal or exceed that of other students at their institution.
Statement of Principle: We reaffirm that there should be processes in place to guarantee institutional control of the quality of all academic programs.