Athletics certification may not rival winning an NCAA championship in terms of appeal, but it’s just as important — and more crucial — to athletics departments. The certification program, established in 1993 for all NCAA Division I member institutions, is about to enter its third cycle with a few improvements that respond directly to work going on in all parts of the Association.
In the wake of the Presidential Task Force report, the Committee on Athletics Certification made several changes to certification requirements.
Among the new measurable standards institutions will be expected to meet in the certification process are:
• Two regarding fiscal responsibility (institutional control in athletics budget, accounting, purchasing and debt management, and annual presidential review of the dashboard indicators).
• Standards outlining the involvement of an institution’s governing board in the management of athletics (institutions must have written athletics governance policies, annual written communication of such policies and oversight and policy formulation consistent with other units on campus).
• Analysis of the Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate.
• Additional program areas to be reviewed translating to increased accountability for a program’s diversity, including assessment, recruitment hiring practices, retention and partnerships.
• An increased number of program areas in gender issues, including participation in governance and decision-making, retention, academic-support services, publicity and awards.
• Additional requirements for student-athlete exit interviews, including specific questions about time demands, travel policies, medical policies and the ability to assimilate into the college culture.
In addition to these changes, the committee, which is responsible for reviewing and issuing certification decisions, also revised its philosophy to hold schools more accountable for meeting each of the measurable standards in the certification process. Institutions will be particularly accountable for implementing plans for improvement published during the second cycle of certification before earning a decision of “certified.”
The certification process at each institution is led by an institution’s president or chancellor and reviews the areas of governance and rules compliance, academic integrity, gender/diversity issues and student-athlete well-being. During the past 15 years, certification has evolved into a process that involves regular collaboration among the institution, peer reviewers and NCAA staff over about an 18-month period.
The process has also moved online in recent years, with a Web site featuring information related to the self-study process (orientation materials, measurable-standards documents, requirements for institutional plans). The Web-based program allows institutions to submit their self-studies online and houses all information related to the athletics certification program, including peer-review team reports and committee actions.
Supported by NCAA President Myles Brand, the certification program, like academic reform and other Division I programs, is designed to improve performance, not sanction programs. It measures the effectiveness of an athletics program in serving both the student-athletes and the integrity of the institution along with an institution’s commitment to the high standards required of Division I membership.
“We believe the new measurable standards and increased accountability will continue to strengthen each institution’s athletics program by affirming institutional control, encouraging broad-based dialogue and participation throughout the process and enhancing an institution’s efforts to effectively monitor student-athlete well-being,” said Wake Forest President Nathan Hatch, who chairs the Committee on Athletics Certification, which is composed of three additional presidents along with athletics administrators, faculty and conference office staff.
Orientation videoconferences for participants in the first class will begin this fall.