Firm assists ULM Athletics Department with analysis of NCAA rules best practices and academic performance success.
MONROE, La. – Southwest Sports Partners, LLC has conducted a comprehensive NCAA compliance and academic services review for the University of Louisiana Monroe’s Athletics Department. Southwest Sports President/CEO Tom Burnett, a former Division I conference commissioner based in Frisco, Texas, coordinated the Jan. 18-20 review, and Beth Chapman, an accomplished sports attorney with an extensive background involving NCAA issues, led the on-campus interviews with university administrators, athletic staff members and coaches.
The compliance and academic review will lead to a comprehensive written report of recommendations for the ULM Athletics Department to follow and ensure continued success in meeting NCAA Division I expectations. In fact, the NCAA Division I Transformation Committee recently emphasized in its final approved report that recommended periodic compliance audits every three to four years to ensure that compliance programs are appropriately serving and supporting student-athletes.
“A great deal of credit is owed to ULM President Ron Berry and the athletic leadership on campus for having the foresight to recognize the importance of a compliance review on the front end of the NCAA Transformation Committee’s recommendations,” Burnett said. “Further, the university greatly values the academic success of its student-athletes, and studying how to better improve academic performance rates and eventual graduation for all ULM participants is praiseworthy and certainly expected in Division I.”
In addition to Southwest Sports Partners meeting with campus leaders, including President Berry, the ULM review included interaction with faculty, athletics business managers and compliance directors, campus financial aid representatives and certifying officers, head and assistant coaches, academic counselors, and admissions staffers. An extensive review and update on the NCAA’s Academic Performance Program also was conducted with key athletic staffers.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST SPORTS PARTNERS, LLC:
Based in the burgeoning sports capital of Frisco, Texas, Southwest Sports Partners is a newly-formed athletics consulting and events services firm led by Tom Burnett, a former conference commissioner and chair of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee that oversees March Madness and the Men’s Final Four. Southwest Sports is a relationship-based, turnkey firm uniquely positioned to provide successful administrative assistance and guidance for all levels of sports. In addition to compliance and academic reviews, Southwest Sports offers executive athletics consulting, community sports strategies, diversity and equity programming, sports event/gameday planning, external promotional services, coaching and staffing search guidance, and other athletics-related needs. For more information, connect at www.swsportspartners.com.