College Sports Information Directors of America

A main message delivered during Friday's NCAA Convention session - much to the delight of athletic communicators and CoSIDA members - came from NCAA VP of Communications Bob Williams who addressed Division II college presidents, chancellors and campus leaders.

Williams' message centered around the need for strategic communications on each campus - and with the athletic communications/media relations personnel playing a major role.

Williams message is captured here: NCAA VP encourages strategic approach to communications.

Excerpts from the story:
It’s one thing to communicate, but it’s another thing to communicate strategically ... Williams noted challenges that college athletics faces with the current “24/7” communications landscape ... Tell stories that communicate your purpose at every opportunity and through every available platform.

• Define, unify and clarify the message.
• Every message should  revolve around student-athletes.
• Align actions with messages.

“At the end of the day, we have to look at things in a different light,” he said as he encouraged the presidents to turn away from old paradigms and to examine how their communications operations are structured.

In particular, he urged a greater collaboration between university relations and athletics communications offices, noting that interaction between the offices on many campuses often can be near nonexistent. Williams said the NCAA is willing to do its part by making its platforms available to member schools and conferences. He encouraged college and university communications professionals to consider NCAA.org, NCAA.com and NCAA Champion magazine as vehicles for favorable portrayals of their student-athletes, coaches and administrators.

Williams also encouraged Division II chancellors and presidents to consider expanding the role of their sports information officers to athletics communications directors. The change, he said, would boost their function from tactical to strategic.

One of CoSIDA's major objectives is to help campus and conference leaders - as well as its members - advance the strategic communications model for athletic communicators. CoSIDA's work, with the continued support of national leaders like Williams, NCAA Director of Public Relations and Media Relations Erik Christianson, and others who spoke at the Convention, the role - and importance - of intercollegiate athletic communicators might indeed be shifting across the country.

NCAA Convention article links/topics of interest to CoSIDA members
Note: The "Honors Celebration" story includes quotes from Today's Top VIII recipients and Silver Anniversary Award honorees, many who are/were CoSIDA Academic All-America standouts.

Jan. 15: NCAA VP encourages strategic approach to communications
Jan. 15: DI session shines yellow light on red flags
Jan. 15: DIII SAAC develops partnership with Special Olympics for community outreach effort (with video)
Jan. 15: 2011 Honors Celebration: The stars shine brightly in San Antonio (with video)
Jan. 15: Concordia (Texas) soccer players Lya Morfitt and Dalaine Whitlock discuss attending 2011 NCAA Convention (YouTube video)
Jan. 15 - DII passes all Phase II Balance proposals
Jan. 15- Division III legislative actions- see Proposal No. 2011-4  Amateurism – Preferential Treatment – Exception – Designation of Fundraising Money
Jan. 15- Division II legislative actions

January 14

Jan. 14: NCAA president Emmert sets no-nonsense tone in address, by Steve Weiberg, USA Today
Jan. 14: NCAA votes to keep status quo on rules: Proposals on recruiting, academic  restrictions nixed, by Paul Weber, AP
Jan. 14: NCAA President Emmert pledges changes in NCAA Convention speech (NCAA.org)
Jan. 14: Division I Council begins study of agent issue
Jan. 14: Division III Presidents still oppose proposal that would allow institutions to earmark fundraising dollars for individual student-athletes (NCAA.org)
Jan. 14: New ideas for Division II mandatory winter break rule (NCAA.org)
Jan. 14: Division I Legislative Council defeats basketball academic plan (NCAA.org)

• Action & Future Action: Proposal to Change Rules Regarding the Use of Student-Athlete Likenesses in Promotions

       In other news, CoSIDA members will be interested in some information in the link above (Division I Legislative Council defeats basketball academic plan) which concerns the DI Council's review of a proposal that would change the rules regarding the use of student-athlete likenesses in promotions. The Council has sent this out to the membership for further comment, and the original proposal - and any amendments - will be considered in April.

Quoting from the article above:
The measure aims to accommodate advancements in technology and facilitate more authentic promotions associating schools with their sponsors while maintaining the Association’s fundamental principles of prohibiting exploitation of student-athletes by commercial enterprises. The Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which initially opposed the legislation, supported the move to seek further comment on the issue with the goal of educating the membership on the subject and a possible amended proposal that would address their concern with the proposal: student-athlete consent.

The proposal, which follows the principles developed by the 2008 Presidential Task Force on Commercial Activity in Division I Athletics, continues many of the safeguards contained within the current legislation that allows the use of a student-athlete’s name or likeness for promotions, advertisements and media activities if specific conditions are met.

Among current conditions carried over into the new legislation are:
• Student-athlete permission.
• Athletics director approval for each activity.
• No missed class time.
• No endorsement of a commercial product or service.

The proposal takes the core requirements and adds refinements, including the following: (1) Promotional activity by a sponsor of an institution, conference or the NCAA must clearly identify the commercial entity’s sponsor affiliation (for example, an official sponsor of the institution or event) when student-athlete images are shown and (2) promotions that include alcoholic beverages, tobacco products or gambling interests are not permitted.
The Amateurism Cabinet sponsored the legislation. The original proposal as well as any amended versions will be considered in April.

January 13

Thursday morning, Eric McDowell (Union College), in his role as Chair of the CoSIDA College Division Management Advisory Committee (CMAC), was part of a panel addressing DIII members, delegates and SAAC representatives. The presentation, entitled "Defining the Educational Value fo the DII Intercollegiate Athletic Experience," was moderated by University of Pittsburgh-Bradford President Livingston Alexander.

The SAAC delegates are pictured here during meetings, panels and breakout sessions.

Serving on the presentation along with McDowell were Livingston Alexander (President, University of Pittsburgh-Bradford); Kitty Baldridge (Gallaudet University Faculty Athletics Representative); Shannon O'Brien (Presidents' Athletic Conference Associate Director); John Williams (NCAA Director of Championships) and field hockey student-athlete Jessica Maier (College of Notre Dame/Centennial Conference).

Here are McDowell's thoughts following the presentation. You also can read his remarks HERE (in a PDF format).

"The Thursday morning panel was well-attended, and a wealth of information was exchanged by panelists and many questions were asked from the SAAC members as well. The student panelist, Jessica, said the SAAC group enjoyed my remarks on Wednesday and suggested that the group would love to hear more from CoSIDA at their July meetings. At January's Convention, they are really pressed for time due to the heavy legislation, long discussions and voting. I certainly hope to hear from her when we both return to our campuses. This would be a wonderful way for CoSIDA and athletic communicators to connect to the campus athletic leaders.

During the panel, I did discuss a question from the audience on 'why Division III cannot get the attention that Division I athletics receives.' A very fair question of course. I brought up all our new communications channels - new media, digital media, social media - and how that's closing the publicity and awareness gap. I specifically mentioned our Capital One Academic All-America program and how it is so inclusive, especially with the 2011-12 expansion of the program. I was very specific about how Division III will have its own AAA program and that Capital One was supportive of each divisional program."

• Larry Dougherty and John Humenik met with Executive Director of the Division 1-A Athletic Directors Association (ADA) Dutch Baughman. Discussions revolved around the ADA group building relationships with the DI CoSIDA leaders and the changing emphasis of CoSIDA being an organization solely focusing on the needs of its members to a viable national group making great inroads with other national associations and becoming a resource for others. Discussed was the growing popularity of the "Communciations Watch for Today's AD," compiled by Kowal and Humenik and sent by Baughman to his membership; a need for a CoSIDA-sponsored spring conference call with leadership from the D1-ADA group and CoSIDA's Division I leaders; and the creation of the CoSIDA Resource/Reference Library, now underway, to assist those outside CoSIDA with communications queries and questions.