White Named to NCAA Subcommittee on Presidential Leadership of Internal and External Constituencies

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — University of Arkansas Chancellor John A. White has been appointed to a new NCAA subcommittee on Presidential Leadership of Internal and External Constituencies. The subcommittee is one of four that is part of a new presidential task force to study the future of college athletics. The announcement came from NCAA president Myles Brand in the form of a press release on May 11.

 “President Brand is to be applauded for engaging institutional leaders from across the country in considerations of existing intercollegiate athletics policies and procedures. I am pleased to represent the University of Arkansas and the Southeastern Conference in this effort,” White said.

 Brand first announced plans to create the task force during his annual address in January in Grapevine, Texas. He said that each of the four subcommittees would be chaired by a university president. The task force is chaired by Peter Likins, University of Arizona president.

 Fellow members of the Presidential Leadership of Internal and External Constituencies are Philip Austin, president, University of Connecticut; Robert Caret, president, Towson University; Carol Cartwright, president, Kent State University; Gordon Gee, chancellor, Vanderbilt University; Judy Genshaft, president, University of South Florida; George Hagerty, president, Franklin Pierce College; Kermit Hall, president, University at Albany; Robert Kustra, president, Boise State University; Robert Lawless, president emeritus, University of Tulsa; and Graham Spanier, president, Pennsylvania State University.

 The subcommittee is chaired by Gerald Turner, president, Southern Methodist University.  David Berst, NCAA vice-president for Division I governance, is staff liaison. Brand also created subcommittees on Implications of Academic Values and Standards, Fiscal Responsibility and Student-Athlete Well-Being.

 “This is an important effort to discuss and address the next steps in shaping the future of intercollegiate athletics,” Brand said in the May 11 press release. “The leadership of presidents and chancellors is critical in this effort.”

Chancellor White recently completed his term on the NCAA Division-I Board of Directors and NCAA Executive Committee. A past president of the SEC, he currently serves on its Executive Committee. White also recently completed a term as chair of the Council of Presidents of the Southern University Research Association, headquartered in Washington, D.C.