College Sports Information Directors of America

October 1, 2009

To: CoSIDA Membership

Fr: CoSIDA President Justin Doherty (University of Wisconsin) and Executive Director John Humenik

Re: Recap of September Board of Directors Activities and Initiatives

Below, please find our monthly report for CoSIDA Board of Directors and staff actions and initiatives for the month of September. As always, we welcome your comments, suggestions and feedback. Our contact information can be found at the end of this newsletter.

We wish everyone continued successes as the fall season progresses, and thank you for taking the time to read our correspondences.

Divisional Strategic Initiatives

» Eric Schoh, AD at Wayne State College (Neb.) and the 3rd VP for the Division II Athletic Directors Association, contacted John Humenik to say that organization’s officers had recently met at their annual retreat and discussed at length a joint letter from CoSIDA and D II- SIDA which had been sent to the group. (The letter was a request to build a better working relationship between CoSIDA and the DII association, and a desire for CoSIDA to be a resource to the group regarding communications-based issues and challenges). Eric indicated he had been assigned as the primary liaison to work with CoSIDA and DII-SIDA.
        That resulted in John Humenik setting up a conference call on Sept. 10^th between Eric, Rich Herman (Clarion, President of D II-SIDA), Eric McDowell (Union College- Chair of CoSIDA’s College Division Management Advisory Committee) and Justin Doherty to further discuss this joint desire. On that call, it was agreed that starting in October, Rich - as President of DII-SIDA - and Eric Schoh would hold a monthly conference call to discuss appropriate matters. Those monthly calls could include others if Eric and Rich feel that is appropriate.

» With CoSIDA and DII-SIDA in a lead role, a joint letter was written by Rich Herman on behalf of DII-SIDA, the DII Athletic Directors Association and DII Conference Commissioners Association, to the Mitchell Award management committee. (The Mitchell Award recognizes DII-III football’s top place-kicker, yet had a “nomination fee” attached.) These groups jointly indicated that they will not endorse any award that mandated a “nomination fee ($150 in this case)” as part of the nomination process. These groups asked the Mitchell Award leadership to reconsider such a request since it does not exist with any other award group in collegiate athletics. That award group did indeed change this monetary requirement, and informed these three DII leadership groups of that on Sept. 18.

» Working with Chad Waller (Director of Sports Information and Media Services for the NAIA), John Humenik and Justin Doherty sent a joint letter from CoSIDA to Rick Sanders, Chair of NAIA Conference Commissioners Association, expressing a desire for CoSIDA to work with that organization to assist the NAIA leadership as a resource in dealing with communications-based issues. Rick responded in a favorable manner, and CoSIDA’s request has been added to that group’s agenda for their next meeting. Sanders anticipated a sincere interest from that leadership to work more closely with the NAIA communications staff and NAIA-SIDA to achieve mutual benefits.  Sam Ghrist (NAIA-SIDA President from Eastern Oregon) responded to Rick that the leadership and membership of NAIA-SIDA is most appreciative of their desire to work together with NAIA-SIDA on communications-based issues and challenges.

» Working with John Humenik, Bill Wagner (President of DIII-SIDA from DePauw University began soliciting input from the leadership of D III-SIDA regarding previous correspondence with CoSIDA/DIII-SIDA on bettering the relationship between all groups and having CoSIDA/DIII-SIDA take an increased role as a resource for communication issues. (The original letter came from Dan Dutcher, VP for DIII and Leah Karetim Director of DIII, resulting from a joint approach by CoSDIA/ DIII-SIDA in July). The letter back from the DIII leadership was very positive in this regard and asked D III-SIDA/CoSIDA for some direction/thoughts with regard to building better working relationships and communications.

» John Humenik represented CoSIDA at the annual Division IA Athletic Directors meetings in Dallas on Sept. 28-29th. For the second consecutive year he was provided an opportunity to address the group and conduct a Q&A session on communications-based issues.

» On behalf of the CoSIDA Board and DIII-SIDA, John Humenik sent a letter to NCAA staff member Amy Hachthausen congratulating her on her appointment as DIII Governance Liaison.  John and 2008-09 CoSIDA President Nick Joos had worked with Amy in her role as a NCAA Div. I Recruiting Cabinet liaison and she had been helpful in getting CoSIDA a personal appearance before that group when they discussed pending printed media guide legislation this past June. John indicated to Amy that the DIII-SIDA leadership wanted to work with her when appropriate on legislative matters and be a resource group in that regard.

» CoSIDA 3rd VP Tom DiCamillo (Central Arizona College) has been invited to speak to the Athletics Directors of the Arizona Community College System at their upcoming meeting in November.

Legal-Based Issues

» Collegiate Images™, representing CoSIDA, issued “cease and desist” letters to several groups in September that were considered to be infringing on CoSIDA’s registered “Academic All-America®” mark.  The Collegiate Swim Coaches Association, which had been infringing on CoSIDA’s registered mark for years, officially signed a letter with CoSIDA/Collegiate Images to stop that infringement and will now refer to their teams/program as “Scholar All-American” instead of “Academic All-American.”

      We remind all our membership that “Academic All-America®” is to be used only with our CoSIDA program. If you see any other programs that use that mark, please inform the CoSIDA leadership right away and please do not use that mark in reference to any other scholar-athlete award program that you might be issuing releases about.

» For our upcoming San Francisco Convention (July 4-7, 2010), a decision was made to enhancing both the Academic All-America Hall of Fame ceremony and the CoSIDA Hall of Fame function. This year, we will combine those two induction events into one “Hall of Fame Gala” on the evening of July 6. This event will primarily be funded by reallocating funding from the “CoSIDA Hall of Fame Luncheon” that has been traditionally held on the last day of the convention.

      CoSIDA’s Director of External Affairs Barb Kowal- now CoSIDA’s primary convention planner- will Chair that organizational committee which includes: John Humenik; current Board of Director members Rob Knox (Kutztown University), Jeff Hodges (University of North Alabama) and Joe Browning (UNC-Wilmington); and Bernie Cafarelli (Notre Dame) and Jim Seavey (Massachusetts Maritime Academy) from the Academic All-America Committee.

» The Board approved a general day-to-day timeline and concepts for the San Francisco Convention so that appropriate officers, staff and committees could move forward with various planning initiatives.

» On September 15, CoSIDA treasuer Dave Wohlhueter, Barb Kowal and John Humenik  met with Marriott Marquis hotel staff in San Francisco to review and plan several aspects of next July’s convention.  Discussions were also held with that staff as it related to making significant adjustments in the original contract that was signed several years ago. Revisions have been proposed and the two groups continue to talk in hopes of finalizing a jointly acceptable revised contract within the next few weeks.

» The San Francisco Marriott Marquis has agreed to drop the hotel per night convention room rate from $139 to $129.

» John Humenik, working with Dave Wohlhueter, provided various comparative charts and trend analysis to Board members that evaluated various aspects of our convention’s financial picture over the past decade. That data, which shows that it is costing twice as much per person for the organization to put on the current convention as the per person registration fee, was reviewed by all Board members during September to determine ways to close the “gap between registration fee and actual per person costs”; these non-covered costs have grown significantly - from just over $50 per person in 1999 to over $150 in San Antonio.

 

» CoSIDA secretary Jeff Hodges (North Alabama) has been asked by the Board’s leadership to coordinate a review of the constitution with other Board members. This group will then make recommendations to the full Board on what needs to be updated with regard to content and language revisions, due to various changes within the organization and its structure over the past few years.

» First VP Larry Dougherty (Temple) was appointed chair of a “Strategic Branding Committee” that will discuss and make recommendations to the Board regarding best ways for our organization and profession to better position ourselves within the overall intercollegiate athletics community. 

       This committee includes Presidents of various organizations (Rich Herman of DII-SIDA, Bill Wagner of D III-SIDA, Sam Ghrist of NAIA-SIDA, Rob Knox of BC-SIDA, Ann King, president of FAME [Female Athletic Media Relations Executives]) as well as Eric McDowell (Union College and Chair of CoSIDA’s College Division Management Advisory Committee), Charles Bloom (SEC, and Chair of CoSIDA’s University Division Management Advisory Committee) and Rod Williamson (Vanderbilt, Chair of Senior Athletic Communications Committee).  Nick Joos and John Paquette (Big East Conference) of the CoSIDA Board also are appointed to the committee. This committee will work on refining a new CoSIDA image, graphically and philosophically, which will also include a strategic branding statement of purpose/function.

» Justin Doherty, on behalf of CoSIDA, issued a statement on Sept. 18^th with regard to CoSIDA’s appreciation for the leadership and efforts of Myles Brand upon Dr. Brand’s passing. Dr. Brand was the first NCAA President to ever attend a CoSIDA Convention. CoSIDA was one of 13 organizations which had its statement included as part of a NCAA News story that related to organizational responses to his passing.

» Immediate Past President Nick Joos will coordinate a committee to work with treasurer Dave Wohlhueter (and others TBA) to review various financial information over the past decade and determine ways to provide more specific detailed information to Board members. This detailed information would assist the Board in gaining further knowledge and understanding of organizational and convention fiscal data, which in turn will lead more informed decisions being made on behalf of CoSIDA initiatives and business. This group will also seek to begin the process of establishing various specific budgets for the 2010-11 fiscal organization year.

 

» Lawrence Fan (San Jose State) and Chair of CoSIDA’s Job Seekers Committee, presented to John Humenik an article that dealt with the NCAA establishing a “Career Forum” for student-athletes as it relates to careers in college sports. Lawrence and John Humenik approached Erik Christenson of the NCAA Communications Department to inquire if this is something that CoSIDA can be/ should be involved with next May. It was determined that it would indeed be good for CoSIDA to work with the appropriate NCAA leadership on this matter. Barb Kowal (a former DIII student-athlete) and Lawrence, in his role as Chair of CoSIDA’s Job Seekers Committee, will be the “point” people from our organization relative to determining the best approach for CoSIDA to take with this new event.

» Joe Moore, a former SID at Central Missouri who is now a professor in the Communications Department at that school, continues to work with John Humenik on various preliminary data relative to a dissertation he will be writing that deals with “Earned Influence in College Sports PR- Why Do Some Have It and Others Don’t.”  Joe will be working with the Board and membership relative to this project, and will come to San Francisco to conduct interviews with the organization’s leadership and membership.

» Barb Kowal and John Humenik are working with several organizations with regard to their possible interest in coordinating/providing webinars/teleconferences for membership over the course of the next several months.

 

 Miscellaneous

» Eric McDowell (Union College-NY) and former Board member, is working with the Board leadership to finalize details with the NCAA regarding a permanent plaque being placed in the NCAA Hall of Champions in Indianapolis that will honor CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame inductees.

» Barb Kowal continues to work on various aspects of the website redesign project that hopes to launch in January.

 

Direct Membership Information

In closing, we ask your assistance and pro-active follow-up on several items. Please contact the following CoSIDA personnel if you have ideas, suggestions, concerns, etc in the following areas:

* Ideas for 2010 Convention panel discussions, table topic ideas or if you wish to present a topic/moderate a panel: contact 1st Vice President Larry Dougherty, San Francisco Convention workshop chair (larrydoc@temple.edu)

* Ideas for CoSIDA.com articles and discussion topics for the website, E-Digest, membership newsletters, job transactions/hiring’s/promotions and CoSIDA member honors that you would like to publicize: External Relations Affairs Director Barb Kowal (barbkowal@cosida.com)

* Ideas for general/divisional membership webinars and teleconferences: contact External Relations Affairs Director Barb Kowal (barbkowal@cosida.com) and Past President Charles Bloom, who is heading up CoSIDA professional development initiatives (cbloom@sec.org)

* If you have a relationship with a company/firm/organization that you feel should be a CoSIDA corporate supporter: contact John Humenik (jhumenik@bellsouth.net)

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Again, we remind all CoSIDA members to be diligent of the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America® nomination processes and deadlines. The nomination process began on September 30 for men’s and women’s soccer nominations. Again, ONLY CURRENT DUES-PAYING members may nominate student-athletes for Academic All-America® consideration.

      The deadlines posted must be honored for a variety of reasons. Each year, especially with the fall programs, we have some schools/SIDs who don’t check these deadlines and end up missing the deadline, with quality student-athletes deserving AAA nomination are panelized due to the SID’s lack of awareness.  Please check these deadlines and plan accordingly! Refer to the AAA nomination/deadline information found at: http://cosida.com/news/2009/9/25/0925091519_1704.aspx .

In closing, we invite you to contact us at any time with questions, comments and suggestions. You can find all Board of Directors/CoSIDA staff email and phone contact numbers at: http://cosida.com/news/2009/8/20/0820091742_2911.aspx.

 

Justin Doherty                                                       John Humenik

CoSIDA President                                                  CoSIDA Executive Director
Office: (608) 262-1811  jmd@athletics.wisc.edu                               Office: (608) 262-1811  jhumenik@bellsouth.net