Virginia Shepherd, president of the Vanderbilt Faculty Senate and one of the organizers of the SEC Faculty Governance Conference, announced the recommendations at a news conference in Vanderbilt's Wyatt Center. See below for the full text. click to listen (mp3, 8:44). Also available in .wav format for use in radio news. Photo, click here for a high resolution image of Shepherd at the news conference. To download sound files: right click and "save target as" or just drag the blue link to your desktop. The larger wav file will provide the best quality for editing for use in radio news. NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Faculty representatives from all 12 of the Southeastern Conference schools concluded their two-day meeting on the role of academics in college sports at Vanderbilt University this afternoon, by forming the SEC Association of Faculty Leaders and urging "significant reform of intercollegiate athletics." The group of about 40 faculty representatives made recommendations that would result in the increased role of the faculty in athletic department policy-making; closer study of athletic seasons and scheduling and their impact on academics and student welfare; and standards that would promote the academic success of student athletes. The meeting was the first of its kind of SEC faculty leaders, who came together to consider the role of academics in intercollegiate athletics. Virginia Shepherd, president of the Vanderbilt Faculty Senate and co-organizer of the meeting, said the meeting far exceeded organizers' expectations and that the group's vote on the issues in the final report was nearly unanimous. "I think the voices that are being heard now from the presidents down to the faculty to the governing boards are that we need reform, but we want to retain athletics and we want the best academic situation and options for those student athletes," she said. Among the recommendations issued from the meeting, the group urged that competition scheduling should be based on academic considerations instead of on revenue considerations and that the NCAA and the SEC should examine the length of athletic seasons, the number of competitions and athletes’ nontraditional season activities and their impact on student welfare and academic performance. The faculty discussed issues related to the proposed NCAA reforms in intercollegiate athletics and concluded that student athletes who are admitted to member institutions should have a strong likelihood of academic success, that the six-year graduation rate of student athletes should equal or exceed that of the other students at the institution and that there should be processes in place to guarantee institutional control of the quality of all academic programs. Among its general conclusions, the faculty group "endorsed the efforts of the presidents and chancellors of the Bowl Championship Conference schools to formulate and enact proposals for significant reform of intercollegiate athletics" and urged the presidents and chancellors "to continue their cooperative efforts and to engage their faculties in this process." In addition, the group recommended that faculty at their colleges and universities play an increased and "significant role" in oversight of athletic department activities, policies and personnel decisions. In order to identify best practices, the group agreed to share information about the academic oversight bodies at their respective institutions. The group assembled on May 1 as a collection of faculty leaders from the 12 SEC schools and adjourned as the newly-formed SEC Association of Faculty Leaders. Shepherd said they now are "an organized faculty voice that the presidents and chancellors will listen to" as they consider reform efforts. "I don’t want to go so far as to say we are going to set policy," Shepherd said of the new leadership group, but "the support we’re going to give to our chancellors and presidents is going to be very important." The SEC Association of Faculty Leaders announced its next meeting, to be hosted by the University of Arkansas at the SEC Headquarters office in Birmingham, for sometime next year. In the meantime, a steering committee has been established to examine the role and composition of the group. Contact:Susanne Loftis, 615-322-NEWS susanne.loftis@vanderbilt.edu SEC Faculty Assembly Recommendations On May 1 and 2, 2003, faculty leaders from all 12 SEC schools met to discuss general faculty governance issues and issues specifically related to the currently proposed NCAA reforms in intercollegiate athletics. We have the following statements and recommendations. 1 - We have officially formed the SEC Association of Faculty Leaders. Commissioner Slive has graciously offered the SEC Headquarters in Birmingham for our meeting next year which will be hosted by the University of Arkansas. 2 - As faculty representatives of the SEC universities, we endorse the efforts of the presidents and chancellors of Bowl Championship conference schools to formulate and enact proposals for significant reform of intercollegiate athletics. We urge the presidents and chancellors of our institutions to continue their cooperative efforts and to engage their faculties in this process. Specific Recommendations from our four subcommittees: Faculty Governance Subcommittee: We recommend that faculty members be given a significant role in the oversight of athletic department activities, policies and personnel decisions. Furthermore, it is the intention of this group to collect and share information regarding the academic oversight bodies at each member institution in order to identify best practices. Student Welfare Subcommittee: We will send two representatives - one from Alabama and one from Tennessee, to the October, 2003 meeting of the Student Athlete Representatives in Birmingham. Costs and Commercialization Subcommittee: We recommend that the NCAA and SEC examine the length of seasons, the number of competitions, and nontraditional season activities, and their impact on student welfare and academic performance. We recommend that competition scheduling should be based on academic considerations and not on revenue considerations. Academics Subcommittee: We recommend that all student athletes who are admitted to member institutions should have a strong likelihood of academic success. We recommend that the six-year graduation rate of student athletes should equal or exceed that of other students at their institution. Statement of Principle: We reaffirm that there should be processes in place to guarantee institutional control of the quality of all academic programs.

Last fall Vanderbilt students had the rare opportunity in an interdisciplinary class called "The War in Iraq" to take an in-depth look at the facts on the ground in Iraq between 2003 and the present. Humanities 161 was co-taught by political scientist Katherine Carroll and Mike Newton, professor of the practice of law. The focus was on the U.S. military and its response to a variety of challenges it has faced in Iraq. The course grew out of Carroll's year in Baghdad as an embedded professor with the U.S. Army.

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January 20 marks the one-year anniversary of Barack Obama's inauguration as the 44th president of the United States. Political scientists John Geer and David Lewis agree that it's too soon to judge how Obama will fare in comparison to previous presidents but they can discuss how his transition, political appointments and other aspects of his administration are progressing so far.

Contact: Ann Marie Deer Owens, 615-322-NEWS
annmarie.owens@vanderbilt.edu

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Anyone who's ever dreamed of walking the red carpet at the Oscars with an award-winning screenplay might want to check out a book by William M. Akers before proceeding too far along. The Vanderbilt senior lecturer in theater is the author of "Your Screenplay Sucks: 100 Ways to Make It Great." Akers has plenty of real-world experience with writing and "pitching" screenplays to Hollywood gatekeepers, and he's happy to share what he's learned with Vanderbilt students and other interested persons. 

Contact: Ann Marie Deer Owens, (615) 322-NEWS
annmarie.owens@vanderbilt.edu

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While many people associate the word "pork" with lawmakers wasteful spending for pet projects, new Vanderbilt political science research demonstrates the importance of cabinet secretaries and their political beliefs in the distribution of lucrative federal grants. Vanderbilt Assistant Professor of Political Science Christian Grose and Anthony Bertelli, a professor at the University of Georgia, studied the allocation of discretionary government contracts in the Labor and Defense departments from 1991 to 2002. They also examined the political leanings of the various heads of these two departments during the same time period. "Our research found that a more conservative cabinet secretary will choose states represented by conservative senators and the opposite happens when a more liberal secretary is in office," Grose said.

Contact: Ann Marie Deer Owens, 615-322-NEWS
annmarie.owens@vanderbilt.edu

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