Texas A&M University is a public institution dedicated to the development, dissemination, and use of knowledge in many diversified academic and professional fields. The University assumes as its historic trust the maintenance and enhancement of an intellectual environment that encourages the development and expansion of the human mind and spirit.
The University is committed to assist students in their search for knowledge, to help them understand themselves and their cultural and physical environments, and to develop in them the wisdom and skills needed to assume responsibility in a democratic society. While continuing to fulfill its mission as a land grant/sea grant/space grant institution, the University is evolving and expanding its role to meet the challenging needs of state, national, and international communities. The University aspires to preeminence in teaching, research and public service, with quality and scope that prepare for the future as well as illuminate the present. (Board of Regents, Texas A&M University System, April 1992).
Texas A&M University is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I-A institution. It sponsors nineteen intercollegiate sports, ten women's and nine men's. To ensure that this athletic program satisfies the aims and aspirations of the University and of its various support groups as expressed above, as well as meets the requirements of the NCAA and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS, the University's accrediting agency), NCAA certification must be accomplished.
The NCAA requires an institutional self-study in academic, fiscal, equity and compliance areas as part of its certification process. The University has established an institutional objective to make our athletics program a model of success and compliance. While significant progress has been made in these endeavors, this self-study will assess these efforts and determine where further improvements may be made.
This report produced during the self-study process serves as the basis for a peer review site visit. The review team will report to the NCAA Certification Committee who will make the determination of certification status.
The organization and direction of the Texas A&M University certification efforts follow the outline provided by the NCAA and that used by the University in its SACS reaccreditation effort of recent years. It will have broad, campus-wide participation and will be conducted openly with input from many areas. It will be directed by a steering committee and largely guided by subcommittees focusing on academic integrity, fiscal integrity, equity issues, rules compliance, and student-athlete welfare.
Professor William B. Smith, Executive Associate Dean of the College of Science, chairs the Steering Committee. Dr. Smith's qualifications for this position include his experience chairing the Steering Committee for the successful university-wide SACS reaccreditation effort of 1992-93 and his prior service as a member and Chair of the Athletic Council.
The membership of the Steering Committee includes the required participants: President, Athletic Director, senior women's athletic administrator, and the faculty athletic representative to the NCAA. Also represented are faculty, administrators, and students. The name, in alphabetical order, and affiliation of each of the members are as follows:
Dr. Thomas W. Adair, III, NCAA Faculty Representative; Professor and Head, Department of Physics
Dr. Ray M. Bowen, President, Texas A&M University
Ms. Mary L. Broussard, Program Coordinator, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies
Dr. D. Stanley Carpenter, Jr., Faculty Senate Representative; Professor of Educational Administration
Ms. Tedi L. Ellison, Director, Athletic Compliance Office
Ms. MariClare Feeney, Student Senate Representative
Dr. James C. Flagg, Associate Professor of Accounting
Dr. William L. Fuerst, Chair, Athletic Council; Professor of Business Analysis and Associate Dean, Lowry Mays College and Graduate School of Business
Mr. Wallace W. Groff, Director of Athletics
Ms. Lynn A. Hickey, Senior Associate Athletic Director
Mr. Robert E. Mohr, Executive Committee, 12th Man Foundation
Mr. A. Robert Pantano, Chair, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
Dr. Brent G. Paterson, Director, Student Life; Adjunct Associate Professor of Educational Administration
Dr. Sallie V. Sheppard, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Programs and Professor of Computer Science
Dr. William B. Smith, Professor of Statistics; Executive Associate Dean, College of Science
Dr. Jan Winniford, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs; Adjunct Associate Professor of Educational Administration
Ex-officio (non-voting ) Steering Committee members are :
Texas A&M University/NCAA Liaison: Dr. John Thornton, Assistant Athletic Director
Data Center Coordinator: Mr. David Batson, Compliance Office.
The Texas A&M University/NCAA Liaison will be responsible for local arrangements for the NCAA and peer review visitors, support personnel, equipment and scheduling appointments during these visits, communications with the NCAA, and other matters as assigned by the Steering Committee. The Texas A&M University Office of University Relations (Mr. James Ashlock, Executive Director) will provide for the publicity of the efforts. Publicity will be through press releases, campus-wide publications and electronic means. Dr. Smith will serve the dual role as Editor of the self-study document.
Meetings of the Steering Committee are to be held frequently. Electronic communications between the involved parties will ease the need for more frequent meetings.
Subcommittees of the Steering Committee will be responsible for conducting self-studies in their respective areas. Each group will use data gathered by the Data Center Coordinator in accordance with the NCAA guidelines. Any additional information will also be gathered and shared as requested. The Chairs and Members are as follows:
Chair
Dr. Sallie V. Sheppard, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Programs
Members
Dr. Kriss M. Boyd, Director, General Academic Programs
Mr. Kevin Carreathers, Director, Multicultural Services
Mr. Donald Carter, Registrar
Dr. Bart Childs, Professor of Computer Science
Dr. Karl P. Mooney, Associate Athletic Director for Academic Affairs
Ms. Carol Reep, Athletic Academic Affairs
Ms. Pam Reynolds, Registrar's Office
Ms. Suzanne Tate, Athletic Council, student member
Dr. Joe Townsend, Associate Professor of Agricultural Education and Associate Dean for Student Affairs, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Ms. Chris Wilson, Recording Secretary
Chair
Dr. James C. Flagg, Associate Professor of Accounting
Members
Dr. Donald R. Deere, Associate Professor of Economics and Director, Bush School of Government and Public Service
Mr. Donald L. Engelage, Executive Director, Student Financial Aid
Ms. MariClare Feeney, Student Senate Representative
Ms. Penny King, Associate Athletic Director for Business
Mr. William Krumm, Vice President for Finance
Dr. Malcolm Richards, Professor and Head, Department of Finance
Chair
Ms. Mary L. Broussard, Program Coordinator, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies
Members
Dr. Sara Alpern, Associate Professor of History
Mr. Robert T. Bisor, III, Assistant Vice President for Administration
Mr. Kevin Carreathers, Director, Multicultural Services
Dr. Tina Cheatham, Assistant Athletic Director
Dr. Jerry Gaston, Professor of Sociology and Vice President for Administration
Dr. Gerald G. Guerrieri, Head Coach, Soccer
Mr. Bill Helwig, Texas A&M University System Counsel
Mr. Scott Kelly, Texas A&M University System Counsel (replaced Mr. Helwig 9/97)
Ms. Lynn A. Hickey, Senior Associate Athletic Director
Ms. Kerri Ann Patterson, Student-athlete
Mr. Ron Mo, Athletic Council, student member
Dr. Norma G. Schmidt, Associate Professor of Health and Kinesiology
Ms. Jeanne Sutherland, Head Coach, Women's Golf
Chair
Dr. Brent G. Paterson, Director, Student Life
Members
Dr. Thomas W. Adair, III, NCAA Faculty Representative Head, Department of Physics
Ms. Tedi L. Ellison, Director, Athletic Compliance Office
Dr. Allison Ficht, Associate Professor of Medical Biochemistry and Genetics
Mr. Robert E. Mohr, Executive Committee, 12th Man Foundation
Ms. Ruth Prescott, Special Assistant to the Provost
Mr. R. C. Slocum, Head Football Coach
Ms. Jennifer Wells, Student-athlete
Alternate: Mr. Frank Shannon, 12th Man Foundation
Chair
Dr. Jan Winniford, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
Members
Ms. Jennifer Bohac, Assistant Director, Career Center
Ms. Chimika Carter, Student-athlete
Mr. A. Robert Pantano, Chair, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
Mr. Tom Reber, Associate Director, Recreational Sports
Dr. Karen Sturdivant, Director, Center for Academic Enhancement
Dr. John Thornton, Assistant Athletic Director
Ms. Kimberly Walter, Assistant to the Director, Residence Life
Dr. LaVerne Young-Hawkins, Associate Professor, Educational Human Resource Development
As is evident from the subcommittee membership lists given above, each subcommittee is chaired by an individual outside of athletics, is broadly based with participation by individuals within and outside of athletics, and has access to common information. Moreover, by agreeing to serve, each member has committed the time necessary to complete the self-study.
The administration of Texas A&M University charges the Steering Committee and its subcommittees to conduct self-studies using the NCAA guidelines. Their studies should include all required areas for NCAA approval, but are not limited by these requirements. Their studies are to use data gathered in accordance with the NCAA guidelines and other information that the committee may request.
These groups are to consider the athletic program elements in their broadest sense, seek input from appropriate campus groups, report status, and make recommendations where appropriate. Additionally, the subcommittees are responsible for communicating their findings to the Steering Committee for inclusion in a final report and for maintaining a written record of their meetings.
The Steering Committee is also charged with editing and completing the final report, securing approval of the report, and hosting the visiting group. The committee will report its studies not only through administrative channels, but also when approved, to the Athletic Department, campus and other interested groups. The Office of University Relations will make suitable press releases of this activity in a timely fashion.
The attached timeline and milestone chart (see Attachment I 1, Table 1) gives detail of the required activities and their respective due dates. The initial visit by the NCAA representative occurred on December 4, 1996, at which time this plan was presented for the representative's approval. At the moment, the Big 12 Conference Office will only be involved with this effort by providing an observer during the peer review site visit. No other outside group will participate, save the 12th Man Foundation, a Texas A&M University athletics support organization.
The subcommittee self-studies will be done and their reports completed by the end of the summer 1997. The Editor will construct the final report with Steering Committee approval by October 1997, with various administrative approvals following thereafter. The peer-review site visit team will arrive in early February 1998. That group will be hosted by the Steering Committee. Our peers will be using the self-study report as the basis of the visit and interviews.
The content of the subcommittee reports will respond to NCAA and SACS requirements in the sub-areas. These reports will use the commonly collected data, and other information as needed.
Each subcommittee will submit its report in a common format, the details to be determined by the Steering Committee well in advance of the reporting deadline. Generally, these reports will include:
 |
Summary |
|
Study Items |
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Evaluation and Recommendations |
The Editor and Steering Committee will combine the various subcommittee reports and recommendations, adding its unique perspective, into a single draft report. The Steering Committee Chair will serve the dual role as Editor of the self-study document. Review, rewrite and approval by various groups follow.
This report will be reviewed, rewritten and approved by the Steering Committee, Athletic Department and the University administration
Approval of the report should be completed in the late fall, 1997.
Local arrangements for the peer review site visit are the responsibility of Dr. John Thornton. He will arrange for transportation and lodging for the site visitors, provide staff support for them during their stay here, and schedule appointments as requested. It is anticipated that the site visitors will desire to meet with the Steering Committee, subcommittees, athletic and administrative personnel, and other individuals.
The peer review committee will report to the NCAA Committee on Certification, which will issue its report and a ruling on Texas A&M University's certification status.
University response to the NCAA Report and Ruling
Primary responsibility for the University's response lies with the Steering Committee, Athletic Department and University Administration. These groups also will accomplish any follow-up action.