An Open Letter to the Chancellor and Athletic Director at UCLA

Dear Chancellor Block and AD Guerrero: First, let me begin by saying that I am glad (and I am sure you are relieved) that your three first year student-athletes have been released from China and are back or headed back to Los Angeles. As a past college president, advisor to the US Department of Education […]

The Forever GI Bill: A Beginning Not an End

Note: The following piece describes the new Forever GI Bill.  My question is a simple one at one level:  shouldn’t colleges and universities use this opportunity to recruit young healthy Veterans for their teams?  Some are 22-23 years old — well within the NCAA age limit.  (Query:  Might the NCAA rethink its policy on age, […]

Do Schools Owe It To Former Athletes To Help Them Finish Their Education?

Recently, InsideHigherEd published an article that raised the problem of colleges honoring professional athletes who did not receive their degrees from the institution honoring (or any other institution for that matter).  In other words, why should a college or university honor former athletes who did not succeed at a key goal within the academy: graduation?  […]

Cosby, Pitino and Wonder Woman; They’re Linked

Sometimes, de-linked events just happen to occur around the same point in time. Because they are housed in different arenas (in this case, vastly different spheres), they remain unconnected, and we don’t see important links and even more importantly, the messages these events present — often without intention — if we connect them. That is […]

There Are Plenty Of Great Experiences For Student Athletes Outside Of March Madness

As people complete or complain about the outcomes of their college basketball March Madness brackets, money is in the air. Betting is abundant; so is watching television to see game outcomes. Dollars are spent on bracket parties.  People are buying jerseys and other memorabilia. College spirit, evidenced through ticket sales, is on the rise. Green […]

How Can I Improve My “Stature” This Summer?

Summer is never actually as long as it appears to be to non-academic folks who believe “college folks” have summers off.  Nothing could be farther from the truth. ADs and coaches use the 8 –10 weeks of summer to catch up on NCAA documentation, recruiting (if still needed for the 2016 year and most assuredly […]