Seldom have the shifting sands upon which college athletics are built been more apparent than today. For those of us who have an interest in college sports, including millions of loyal alumni, the choice of an athletic conference is roughly tantamount to “the company that you keep.”
At innumerable colleges and universities, nothing stirs alumni passion and donor support more than athletics. Regrettably, athletics is too often the defining face of higher education.
The reasons are complex ― psychological, socio-cultural, and economic ― but few institutions lead successfully with the quality of their education program. College and university websites, often the first “curbside appeal” moment for prospective applicants, typically disproportionately cite athletics over academics in their news section.
Let’s be clear about the value of athletics. A good athletic program can bring a community together. It inspires loyalty among alumni, the local community, students, faculty, staff and donors. The best athletic programs teach student-athletes valuable lessons in time management, competitiveness, ethics and how to work in a collaborative setting. And, athletics sometimes equates with good fundraising numbers.
In short, at most colleges and universities, athletics is a time-honored, invaluable addition to the residential learning experience.
At the same time, athletic programs can drive an institution’s agenda inappropriately, particularly if alumni trustees fail to embrace their larger stewardship role beyond athletics. In these situations, good universities suffer from the narrowness of a “jockplex” complex. In an effort to meet the rigors of Division I athletics, for example, some institutions maintain a “separate but more than equal” learning experience, keeping their student-athletes in a kind of “jock boot camp” to ensure high performance and persistence to graduation.
