The Landmark Conference Academic Collaboration / Integration Institute ---Summary (2008)

The Institute was held on February 5 and 6th 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Washington D.C. on Capitol Hill.

The Institute started promptly at 4 pm, as scheduled.

The Institute was attended by the Landmark Conference’s 8 Chief Executive Officers (CEO’s); 8 Chief Academic Officers (CAO’s); 8 Faculty Athletics Representatives (FAR’s); 8 Student Athlete Advisory Committee Advisors (SAAC Advisors); 8 Athletics Directors (AD’s); 16 Conference Student Athlete Advisory Committee Members (SAAC Members); The Conference’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee Advisor; the 2 members of the Conference office staff and four guests: 2 Assistants to their President, guest speaker Dan Dutcher and the Centennial Conference Commissioner. The total number in attendance for the Institute was 63. Most all of the attendees were present throughout all sessions of the Institute.

Session #1: 4-5:30 pm. Tuesday February 5. Dan Dutcher, NCAA Vice President for Division III, brought the group up to date on “The Status of Discussions Related to Membership Growth and Structure in NCAA Division III”. The presentation was followed by questions and answers.

Activity #1: 5:30-6:30 pm. A Social Reception was held and attended by all Institute participants. Shortly before 6 pm the CEO’s, Dan Dutcher and the Conference office staff left for the Annual Meeting of the Chief Executive Officers held on the campus of The Catholic University of America.

Activity # 2: 6:30-8:30 pm. Each constituency (CAO’s, FAR’s, AD’s and the invited Conference Commissioner, SAAC Advisors, SAAC Member’s, (divided in two groups and accompanied by in one case an Assistant to a President and in the other by the Conference SAAC Advisor) had dinner together. The purpose of the dinner was largely to develop fellowship but discussion of Institute topics did in most cases ensue.

Activity #3: 7:30-8:00 am. Wednesday February 6. Continental Breakfast was served for all attendees.

Session #2: 8:15-9:15 am. Five “breakout” groups were designated: 1) CEO’s, AD’s,Conference Commissioner and Centennial Conference Commissioner. Tom Kepple, chair of the CEO Executive Board was the discussion leader for this group; 2) CAO’s, James Brennan, Provost at CatholicUniversity led this discussion; 3) FAR’s. Robert Lewand, Professor at GoucherCollege led this group; 4) SAAC Advisors. Dawn Ketterman Benner, Conference SAAC Advisor led this group. 5) SAAC members. This group discussion was moderated by the Joel Cookson, Assistant Conference Commissioner and Julie Del Giorno, Assistant to the President at MoravianCollege.

During this session discussion topics included: the future of Division III in the NCAA; enhancing sportsmanship among athletes, fans and coaches within the conference; the role of athletics in the DIII community; integration of faculty into athletics and finally, academic collaboration in areas such as study abroad, research and grant submissions.

Session #3: 9:20-10 am. Six mixed groups composed of at least one CEO, CAO, AD, FAR, SAAC Advisor and two SAAC members broke out to discuss the same issues discussed at the previous session, but with a more diverse grouping.

Session # 4: 10:30-11:15 am: The group leaders identified in Session # 2 above, and Paul Moyer representing the AD’s, provided feedback to the entire group. Each leader was asked, in advance, to provide at least one action item for the Conference Office to work on, in cooperation with the appropriate constituency(s), during calendar year 2008.

The following items were forwarded to the Conference Office, by one of the following groups: the Chief Academic Officers, the SAAC Advisors and Members or the Athletics Directors for follow up in calendar year 2008:

  • Schedule a conference call with the CEO’s before February 29, 2008 to discuss The NCAA Division III Membership Survey{this has been arranged for February 25 at 2PM}
  • Work with other Conference Commissioners to discuss the future of Division III Membership Structure
  • Collect information concerning alumni contacts for particular institutions in areas where away contest are held so that the alumni can be informed of the team visits and perhaps arrange attendance and possibly receptions
  • Use the Landmark Conference Website to highlight the academic achievements of our student-athletes, much as we do the athletic achievements. {after the Institute it was determined that this item does not imply ranking individual or Institutional performance—to do so, as concluded earlier in discussions among our athletics directors would be comparing differing grading criteria}
  • Create a structure that insures that student voices are heard by administrators on an ongoing basis
  • Schedule another Conference SAAC meeting in the Spring and schedule at least two meetings a year for this group
  • Continue to address sportsmanship issues with coaches, student-athletes, parents of student-athletes and fans
  • Continue to investigate with the NCAA and our institutions the challenges that our current multi-regional alignment presents
  • Continue process to nominate a National SAAC Representative to the NCAA for our conference
  • Create a Landmark Conference Brochure that highlights each institution and illustrates what the conference is all about
  • Define what we are as a conference for the purposes of possible NCAA restructuring
  • Highlight sportsmanship as an educational value
  • Discuss cost containment within our conference and continue to seek sponsorship
  • Continue in the sharing and compilation of information for the good of the conference

Additionally two of the constituencies set action items for the conference to address in consultation with their group:

The Faculty Athletics Representatives proposed that the Conference Office:

  • Work to create/expand “ faculty coach of the week” programs on campus
  • Explore ways to help student-athletes use their athletic experience to market themselves in job searches/interviews
  • Organize a student research program that could rotate among Landmark Institutions
  • Create a short duration courses (2-week/summer) that could allow Landmark Conference students to spend time on other campuses

The Chief Academic Officers proposed that the Conference Office:

  • Facilitate interaction for students/groups that do not interact more broadly on campus because of uniqueness and use these interactions to create a larger affinity group with other institutions
  • Collaborate with campus experts relative to study abroad programs to determine if working together is feasible and could reduce costs
  • Consider faculty development initiatives that could bring together faculty from each institution within the Conference.

Session # 5: 11:15-12:15 pm. Moravian’s President Christopher Thomforde delivered the closing speech titled: “Educating the Body and Mind for Service”. During the Luncheon that followed more than one Physical Educator/Coach/Administrator commented that the speech reminded them as to why they entered this profession in the beginning of their career.

Activity # 4: 12:20-1 pm: a buffet lunch was served. Almost all of the participants stayed and discussed the Institute.

Respectfully submitted by John Reeves (February 18, 2008)

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