KU to present findings of NCAA self study in town hall meeting

March 25, 2009

LAWRENCE – The University of Kansas has completed a draft of an athletics self study and will discuss it with the public in a town hall meeting Monday, March 30.

The NCAA requires Division I athletics departments to conduct self studies every 10 years to provide university faculty, staff and students, as well as the public, with a transparent view of athletics, said Frank DeSalvo, associate vice provost for student success and chair of the self study steering committee. The report assesses KU’s compliance with operating principles for NCAA athletics programs, and seeks to improve awareness of areas of excellence and identify areas for improvement. The town hall meeting will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. March 30 in the Kansas Room of the Kansas Union.

A draft of the report is available at http://www.kuathletics.com/ot/self-study.html. DeSalvo, Chancellor Robert Hemenway, Athletics Director Lew Perkins, and report coordinators Jerry Bailey, director of the Institute for Educational Research and Public Service; and Steve McAllister, professor of law, will be at the meeting to discuss the report and answer questions from the public.

KU’s self study began in March 2008 with the formation of a university-wide steering committee. Five subcommittees were formed to explore the following areas: governance and rules compliance, academic integrity, gender issues, diversity issues and student-athlete well being.

The steering committee will consider questions and feedback it receives at the March 30 meeting. It will then finalize the report and send it to the NCAA by May 1. The NCAA will review the report and provide an analysis in July, and KU will have until Oct. 12 to respond. An NCAA peer-review team will visit campus in late October and issue a report to the chancellor by December, and KU will have a chance to respond. The NCAA Certification Committee will then deliberate and issue a final decision by February 2010.