Athletics Veritas is a weekly series aimed at helping higher education executives, faculty, and other stakeholders stay tuned in on trending national issues impacting college athletics, especially NCAA Division I. Athletics Veritas is created by senior DI athletic administrators around the nation.
Term-in-Ology:The NCAA Research Committee
Although the NCAA’s Governance structure has been getting more attention during the Age of Transformation than the decades prior, one Committee that sometimes flies under the radar is the NCAA Research Committee. Whether producing academic (e.g., APR) findings to student-athlete survey sentiments to other topics du jour (e.g., sports wagering), the NCAA Research Committee plays a key role in supporting the Membership’s ability to assess hot topics and, in turn, make policy recommendations.
From a composition standpoint, the Research Committee shall consist of 10 members, including four representatives from Division I, two each from Divisions II and III and two unallocated. In addition, three positions shall be allocated for men, three allocated for women and four unallocated. The membership of the committee shall consist of at least three athletics administrators and at least three faculty athletics representatives with appropriate research experience.
The Committee’s duties are to:
(a) Promote and encourage graduate student research on psychosocial aspects of intercollegiate athletics by administering the Association's Graduate Student Research Grant Program;
(b) Assist staff in the evaluation of data-sharing requests submitted by the membership, as needed;
(c) Study and make recommendations to the NCAA research staff and governance committees concerning opportunities for Association or collaborative research at the nexus of higher education and athletics;
(d) Confer with research staff on issues related to the Research Review Board, its policies and standard operating procedures; and
(e) Monitor progress of the most significant research endeavors undertaken by the NCAA research staff at the behest of the Association.
Athletics Veritas is presented for information purposes only and should not be considered advice or counsel on NCAA compliance matters. For guidance on NCAA rules and processes, always consult your university’s athletics compliance office, conference office, and/or the NCAA.
