On August 25, 1989, following an investigation of the NCSU athletics program by a committee appointed by the Board of Governors, President Spangler called for major changes in and stronger control of the athletics programs at all institutions in the UNC system. Although allegations of misconduct in academic matters were ultimately not substantiated, the NCSU faculty were unsettled to discover that certain academic procedures and standards designed to be used only in extenuating circumstances were being used in a manner that seemed to be routine. NCSU requested an investigation of its athletics program by the NCAA. This investigation ultimately revealed that NCSU had not exercised proper institutional control in ticket distribution and athletic-shoe usage. The findings of the NCAA investigation resulted in NCAA and self-imposed sanctions against the men's basketball program.
President Spangler's report noted that faculty must share in the responsibility for governing the athletics program, and specifically directed that a faculty committee on athletics be established and that it report annually to the Faculty Senate. In response to this directive, early in fall 1989 the interim chancellor, in consultation with the NCSU Faculty Senate, appointed a committee to study the direction, organization, and administrative oversight of intercollegiate athletics at NCSU. The results of this study, along with recommendations for action, were presented to the chancellor for consideration.
Based on the recommendations of this committee, the chancellor reorganized the Council on Athletics, its charge, responsibilities, and membership. On April 20, 1990, the chancellor appointed a new director of athletics.
The director of athletics is responsible for all personnel matters in the Department of Athletics, with final approval by the chancellor. Explicit written guidelines for annual evaluation of coaches are in place (see self-study library), and guidelines for evaluating the administrators in the Department of Athletics are being developed. The director of athletics is responsible for making recommendations concerning the awarding of athletically related financial aid to the director of financial aid. All financial-aid offers must be approved and awarded by the Financial Aid Office. In the event of criminal or ethical misconduct by student-athletes, the director of athletics and the coaches have the authority to remove student-athletes from teams. Additional sanctions may be assessed by the Student Judicial Board and the chancellor.
Excellent channels of communication currently exist among the chancellor, the director of athletics, and the faculty athletics representative. The chancellor has monthly meetings with both (together) and communicates informally with them regularly. Formal channels of communication also exist between the vice-chancellor for finance and business and the assistant director of athletics/controller.
The associate athletic director for administration and compliance is responsible for assisting the University in complying with NCSU, NCAA, and ACC regulations as they relate to intercollegiate athletics. He reports to and advises the chancellor regularly. The secretary of the NCSU Student Aid Association (Wolfpack Club) reports to the director of athletics. NCSU has recently drafted a Statement of Mutual Benefits, Relationships, and Requirements that defines the relationship between the Wolfpack Club and the Department of Athletics. In particular, the statement notes that all financial matters of the association must be approved by the University. This requirement is satisfied by the University's review and approval of the association's budget [5.6.2.1, 5.6.2.2, 5.6.2.3].
The current administration's interest in the Faculty Senate's comments on Department of Athletics issues is a departure from the past, when Faculty Senate resolutions pertaining to athletics were often not acted upon. Recent examples of Faculty Senate involvement include its conferring with the present chancellor about the establishment of the ad hoc committee to study organization and operation of the Council on Athletics, and its unanimous endorsement of the restructuring of the council as recommended by the ad hoc committee.
The Faculty Senate addresses issues pertaining to athletics as they arise, but it has not proposed any resolutions in the past two years regarding the athletics program. Neither has the Faculty Senate taken positions on the broad issues of philosophy and direction of the athletics program or use of funds generated by intercollegiate athletics. This recent silence on athletics issues may be a result of the reconstitution of the Council on Athletics and the greater oversight role played by the faculty on that council.
The faculty athletics representative reports from the Council on Athletics to the Faculty Senate at least annually. In addition, the faculty athletics representative and the chair of the Faculty Academic Committee meet periodically with the executive committee of the Faculty Senate. Regular feedback to the Faculty Senate is provided by its liaison to the Council on Athletics.
Despite the level of interaction between the faculty and the athletics programs at NCSU, the results of the faculty survey conducted by the University self-study in fall 1992 showed that only 51.7 percent of the faculty were satisfied with the level of emphasis on intercollegiate athletics; 43.5 percent responded that they were dissatisfied. This survey response indicates a need for better communication among the Department of Athletics, the Council on Athletics, the Faculty Senate, and the general faculty regarding intercollegiate-athletics issues [5.6.2.1]. To that end, the director of athletics and faculty athletics representative began meeting in fall 1993 with each college's administration in order to develop better lines of communication with the University community.
Recommendation 11.6: The NCSU Council on Athletics should continue its efforts to improve communication with the general NCSU faculty with regard to its actions and recommendations concerning intercollegiate athletics and the Department of Athletics.
