Resolution on athletics

Whereas the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics has declared that faculty have a critical role to play in the reform of athletics; and

Whereas in a recent speech, Myles Brand, President of the NCAA, stated that faculty must take a leadership role on academic reform issues, and that faculty members are especially important in the effort to integrate intercollegiate athletics with the academic mission of universities; and

Whereas the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics advocates that a campus athletics board should exist on every campus, bringing faculty (including the Faculty Athletics Representative), administrators, and students together to oversee intercollegiate athletics; and

Whereas the Association of Governing Boards has stated that governing boards should recognize and support the voice and views of faculty on academics, student welfare, and institutional reputation and should encourage faculty to engage collaboratively on these issues;

Now, therefore be it resolved that minimum standards set forth below be embraced by the faculty senates/councils of each constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system with an intercollegiate athletics program.

1. The Faculty Athletics Representative should have a written job description.
2. The Faculty Athletics Representative should be allocated sufficient resources consistent with the job description.
3. The Faculty Athletics Representative should be a tenured member of the faculty and the appointment should be made with input from the faculty through formal established processes.
4. The Faculty Athletics Representative should have a presumptive renewable term. At the end of the term, a performance review will be conducted and a decision on whether to renew the appointment should be made with input from the faculty through formal established processes. This performance review should be conducted at least every 5 years.
5. The Faculty Athletics Representative should report to the Faculty Senate/Council at least annually.
    

Unanimously adopted by the UNC Faculty Assembly, October, 2004.