NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
2014-15 Conference Evaluation Form (July 1 to June 30)
Deadline July 15, 2015
In September 2012, the Council of Presidents (COP) and the Conference Commissioners Association (CCA) approved the White Paper on NAIA Conferences, a document that lists new and existing requirements for NAIA affiliated conferences, along with the benefits of increased conference activity in key areas. The COP and CCA also recommended the development of a conference evaluation form to track progress and provide accountability, and the groups favored an approach that is positive and proactive, rather than punitive, during the first year or two of implementation. The intent is to engage conference leaders in discussions about how to best meet the new requirements, providing education, mentoring and sharing of best practices to benefit all conferences.
Q1. Conference:
Q2. Commissioner:
Q3. Council of Presidents Name/Institution:
A. Conference Operations
1. Pursuant to NAIA regulations, each NAIA conference shall employ a commissioner to provide effective leadership and administrative support to the conference, and may employ other professional staff determined by the conference necessary to ensure adherence to NAIA standards. The commissioner shall not be concurrently employed b any conference member institution.
Q4. Does the conference employ a commissioner? Y/N
Q5. Is the commissioner employed by a member school? Y/N
Q6. Does the conference have a formal job description for the conference commissioner? Y/N
If the job description has been updated in the last year, please submit it to the National Office.
Q7. Does the conference conduct a formal annual review of the conference commissioner? Y/N
If the process has been updated in the last year, please submit it to the National Office.
2. Each NAIA conference shall have a constitution or charter with a president/commissioner, eligibility chair, faculty athletics representative, registrar, information director, and a designate(s) for coordinator of officials. All conference should fill all required positions.
Q8. Which positions are currently filled in your conference?
Currently filled and updated in NAIAHelp.com / Conference has a formal job descriptionPresident
Eligibility chair
FAR
Registrar
Information director
Designate(s) for coordinator of officials
3. NAIA conferences shall develop and maintain a conference strategic plan to guide the conference COP and the conference office.
Q9. Does the conference have a strategic plan? Y/N
If the strategic plan has been updated in the last year, please submit it to the National Office.
Q10. Does the conference have an annual action plan or conference goals? Y/N
If the annual plan or conference goals have been updated in the last year, please submit them to the National Office.
4. NAIA conferences shall conduct an annual review of the conference governing documents.
Q11. Does the conference conduct an annual review of the conference governing documents. Y/N
Q12. Please check all who were involved in the most recent review? Commissioner, Presidents, Athletics Directors, Other
5. All NAIA conferences shall analyze the conference’s risk exposure to determine the appropriate types of insurance needed for the conference.
Q13. Please explain what type of coverage you have or are considering
The conference has insurance / The conference is considering this coverageGeneral liability for conference office (General liability for conference postseason events is purchased under NAIA policy)
Directors and officers
Workers compensation
Auto
Property
Crime
Other, please describe
Q14. Comments about this section:
Q15. Best practices to share:
B. Presidential Leadership
1. Presidents shall exercise authority in matters under their direct control by convening aty least one meeting annually in which votes may be exercised only by presidents in attendance.
Q16. Do the presidents of the conference meet at least one time annually? Y/N
Q17. Is attendance at meetings required for presidential voting? Y/N
Q18. List upcoming meeting dates/location:
Q19. Who is invited to this meeting? Presidents/Athletics Directors/Coaches/SIDs/FARs/Eligibility Chairs
Q20. Please complete if other meetings are scheduled dates/location:
Q21. Who is invited to this meeting? Presidents/Athletics Directors/Coaches/SIDs/FARs/Eligibility Chairs
Q22. Do presidents retain final authority for the following topics?
Governing Documents / Y NBudgets / Y N
Staffing / Y N
Membership / Y N
Strategic Planning / Y N
2. NAIA conferences shall promote effective communication between conference leaders and their constituent groups. In particular, the conference representative on the NAIA COP (and the conference COP chair, if different), shall be in consistent contact with conference presidents and the conference commissioner. At minimum the COP reprentative should communicate with presidents two times annually, cooresponding with NAIA COP meetings. As a best practice quarterly communication is recommended.
Q23. Describe the frequency and types of communication between the following constituents.
Minimum Frequency / TypeNAIA COP representative and conference presidents
Conference COP chair (if different than COP rep) and conference presidents
Conference commissioner and conference presidents
Conference commissioner and Athletics Directors
Conference commissioner and coaches
Conference commissioner and Sports Information Directors
[Frequency Options]: Annually, Semiannually, Quarterly, Monthly, Bi-weekly, Weekly
[Type Options]: In Person Meetings, Conference Calls, Emails, Newsletters
3. The commissioner shall be involved in all meetings of the conference COP, except for executive sessions as determined by the conference COP.
Q24. Does the commissioner attend all meetings of the COP (except for executive sessions as determined by the conference COP)? Y/N
4. Presidential leaders and/or the commissioner should make immediate contact with new presidents of the conference, with an in-person visit strongly recommended.
Q25. Did the Presidential leadership and/or the Commissioner make immediate contact with new Presidents in the conference this year?
Y/N/There were no new Presidents
Q26. Who makes the contact? COP/Commissioner/Both/Other
Q27. Was the contact made in person? Y/N
5. A campus visit and in-person meetings between commissioner and each president at least every other year is recommended.
Q28. Does the commissioner meet with each conference president on campus at least once every 2 years? Y/N
Q29. Are the meetings between the Commissioner and the conference Presidents conducted in-person? Y/N
Q30. Comments about this section:
Q31. Best practices to share:
C. Champions of Character/Conduct in Competition
1. Establish a Champions of Character Conference Committee, composed primarily of Champions of Character campus liaisons. The committee shall be charged with development and oversight of conference character education and activities.
Q32. Is there an established Champions of Charactyer Conference Committee? Y/N
2. NAIA conferences are expected to take a proactive approach to provide character education, hospitality and game management, share the character message, promote and recognize character, and oversight and assessment.
Character Education: Champions of Character Training for Conference coaches or student-athletes organized by the conference. Note this training should not be confused with the Student-led, Servant Leadership Activity, but may occur during that time.
Q33. Which of the following activities have been facilitated?
G-Rated Program Discussions
Curb Appeal Discussion
Sport Summit
Administrator Training Courses (either online or at the NAIA Convention)
Other
Hospitality and Game Management
Q34. Do you have established procedures if game management standards are not met? Y/N
Q35. Does the conference have established procedures for responding to extreme negative behavior? Y/N
If other methods were used, please submit them to the National Office.
Share Character Message:
Q36. Does the commissioner deliver a conference welcome to all new student-athletes on the importance of Champions of Character? Y/N
Q37. Does the commissioner deliver a conference welcome to all officials on the importance of Champions of Character? Y/N
Q38. Does the commissioner deliver a conference welcome to all coaches on the imporatance of Champions of Character? Y/N
If other methods were used, please submit them to the National Office.
Promote and Recognize Character:
Q39. Which of the following methods were used to promote and recognize character?
The conference submitted a Dr. LeRoy Walker nomination in the last 12 months
The conference submitted a Coach of Character nomination in the last 12 months
The conference has its own award/s recognizing character
The conference has a dedicated Champions of Character page on the website
The conference has a Champions of Character banner at various conference events
Other
3. Conferences should conduct a student-led, servant leadership Champions of Character outreach activity annually.
Q40. Did the conference conduct at least one student-led, servant leadership Champions of Character outreach activity in the last 12 months? Y/N
Q41. Did the outreach activity include delivery of the Champions of Character message to outside programs? Y/N/We did not conduct an activity
4. An affiliated conference must have a conduct in competition oversight committee composed of a minimum of three members. The committee’s responsibilities include recommending the scope of the conference’s activities related to event management, hospitality, conduct in competition and sanctions related to conduct in competition within the conference.
Q42. Does the conference have a conduct in competition oversight committee composed of a minimum of three members? Y/N
Q43. Does the committee’s responsibilities include recommending the scope of the conferen’s activities related to event management, hospitality, conduct in competition and sanctions related to conduct in competition within the conference? Y/N
5. Commissioner and/or conference Conduct in Competition Oversight Committee should review ejection and suspension reports, and establish procedures for responding to negative behavior in competition.
Q44. Does the commissioner and/or competition oversight committee review ejections and suspensions? Y/N
Q45. Does the commissioner and/or competition oversight committee stablish procedures for responding to negative behavior in conference evaluation? Y/N
Q46. Comments about this section:
Q47. Best practices to share:
D. Membership Recruitment and Retention
1. NAIA bylaws require each conference to have governing documents with a clearly defined application and approval process for conference membership. Specifically, all conferences shall maintain an official membership application form and shall conduct a campus visit as part of the membership evaluation process.
Q48. Is the conference membership application process described in conference governing documents? Y/N
If the conference membership application process has been updated in the last year, please submit it to the National Office.
Q49. How many institutions are in the conference?
Q50. What is the conference’s ideal number of institutions (as full members)?
Q51. Do your governing documents allow for institutions to join as single-sport members? Y/N
Q52. What is the conference’s ideal number of institutions (including single-sport members)?
Q53. Is the conference actively recruiting new members? Y/N
Q54. What is the conference doing to aid in conference retention efforts? (Select all that apply.)
Increase number of schools that sponsor all conference sports
Increased sport sponsorship by individual members
Increased sponsorship by individual members of conference sports
Increased number of conference sports
Focus on emerging/invitational sports
Minimize non-conference play
Providing professional development opportunities for members
Q55. When you identify potential concerns (e.g. increasing full time coaches, cutting or adding specific sports, etc.) do you have a conference action plan? Y/N
Please submit an action plan to the National Office, if available.
List institutions that the conference has been in contact with in the past year about conference membership. (Responses remain confidential.)
Q56. First Potential Institution
Institution Name:
Current Affiliation:
Who contacted the school?
How were they contacted?
Why might they be interested in changing affiliation?
Level of interest 1-5 (5 is the highest)
Q57. Second Potential Institution
Institution Name:
Current Affiliation:
Who contacted the school?
How were they contacted?
Why might they be interested in changing affiliation?
Level of interest 1-5 (5 is the highest)
Q58. Third Potential Institution
Institution Name:
Current Affiliation:
Who contacted the school?
How were they contacted?
Why might they be interested in changing affiliation?
Level of interest 1-5 (5 is the highest)
Q59. Fourth Potential Institution
Institution Name:
Current Affiliation:
Who contacted the school?
How were they contacted?
Why might they be interested in changing affiliation?
Level of interest 1-5 (5 is the highest)
Q60. Is the conference Commissioner interested in assisting the NAIA in outreach to prospective new NAIA members? Y/N
Q61. Is the conference Commissioner interested in coordinating with those chonfrence Presidents who are wiling to be involved in outreach to prospective new NAIA members? Y/N
2. In all NAIA conferences, the commissioner and school presidents shall take an active leadership role in recruitment and retention of member institutions, preferably through a membership committee with representation from presidents, athletics directors, and faculty athletics representatives.
Q62. Does the conference have a membership committee? Y/N
Q63. If the conference has a membership committee, which constituent groups are represented? Presidents/Athletics Directors/FARs
Q64. Is the committee active? Y/N
Q65. Please describe their responsibilities:
Q66. Has the conference identified criteria for a prospective conference member? Y/N
Q67. Please choose any criteria that apply for a prospective conference member
Not-for-profit status
Faith based
Specific accreditation
Specific sport sponsorship
Number of sports sponsored
Private or public status
Q68. Is the committee involved in retention? Y/N
Q69. If yes, what is the committee’s role in retention?
Q70. Has the membership committee identified any potentially departing institutions (within the next two years)? Y/N
Q71. If yes, which schools and what are their potential movement indicators – e.g. increasing full-time coaches/administrators, cutting/adding specific sports, etc.? Responses remain confidential.
Q72. What is the retention action plan for these institutions?
3. Each conference shall develop policies and procedures for potential changes in the status of member schools, such as schools wishing to drop conference membership, changes in not-for-profit status, or changes in accreditation.
Q73. Does the conference have policies and procedures for dropping conference membership Y/N
Q74. Are those policies and procedures included in the governing documents? Y/N
If these policies have changed in the last year, please submit them to the National Office.
Q75. Does the conference have policies and procedures for changes in not-for-profit status Y/N
Q76. Are those policies and procedures included in the governing documents? Y/N