President’s Athletics Advisory Council

The President’s Athletics Advisory Council (PAAC) is responsible for advising the president and dean of students on major decisions impacting Athletics. The PAAC advises the president on all matters relating to intercollegiate athletics to strengthen programs and insure the alignment of intercollegiate athletics with the MCLA mission and goals.

The PAAC supports the development and maintenance of a competitive intercollegiate athletic program which reflects favorably upon MCLA and supports and advises on activities related to the welfare and academic achievement of student athletes. The council does not set or execute policy, but serves to provide counsel concerning intercollegiate athletics to help foster and maintain program strength, academic integrity of the College and the academic and social development of student athletes with attention to equity, student welfare, development and sportsmanship, facility planning, academic standards and integrity, and, campus and community relations. The PAAC meets regularly and reports annually to the College President. The Council is led by co-chairpersons one of whom is the Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) and the other is appointed by the College President.

More specifically the PAAC:

• Promotes an understanding of intercollegiate athletics among all members of the MCLA community. The President’s Athletic Advisory Council seeks to bring the view of the greater MCLA community to new program and planning decisions concerning athletics, in its advisory capacity.

• Fosters a clear commitment to academic integrity within the athletic program.

• Provides counsel to the Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR).

• Provides a communication link between athletics and faculty and the broader MCLA community.

• Aims to balance development of the athletic program concerning:

• academic performance criteria for athletes
• recruitment: qualified athletic applicants and recruitment of team members from within the College
• number and complement of sports
• scheduling of games
• other related intercollegiate athletic issues.

• Considers grade reports, graduation rates, admission and retention data, financial aid and related information for the College and then compare these data with those of the non-athlete student body at MCLA and with those of other NCAA Division III institutions.

• Participates as appropriate in search processes for head coaches and other selected positions to cultivate a qualified and diverse pool of applicants. Selected members may serve on interview committees for head coaches and other full time athletic administrative positions.

• Supports exit and senior interviews with student athletes through a PAAC representative as a partner with the Director of Athletics and/or consideration of a summary report.

• Provides an annual report to the College President.

Composition of PAAC

1. Members: At least three female and three male representatives appointed by the President for three year terms. At least one female and one male student representative chosen annually by the President and at least one student representative chosen by the Student Government Association.

Chairpersons

Scott Nichols, Director of Athletics
Tim Jay, NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative
Dawn Schrade, Secretary

Staff:
Jocelyn Merrick
John Greenbush

Faculty:
Anne Goodwin
Greg O’Connor
Myles Whitney
Rob Harris
Anthony Daly
Ron Shewcraft
Ellen Barber

Student:
Hadley Ameen, Ashlee Scofield, Hayley Gunderson, Osiris Mendez, Dan Saunders, Joe Duncan, Sam Barbarotta

Community Representative:
Robert Bashevkin, Peter Haviland, Jim Canavan, and Sean McGrath

2. Official Consultants:
Dean of Students
Assistant Director of Athletics
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Academic Affairs
Vice President for Administration and Finance
Vice President of Enrollment and External Relations
Chief Advancement Officer and President of the MCLA Foundation

Athletic Philosophy of MCLA - MCLA endorses the NCAA Division III Philosophy

NCAA Division III Philosophy Statement
Colleges and universities in Division III place highest priority on the overall quality of the educational experience and on the successful completion of all students’ academic programs.
They seek to establish and maintain an environment in which a student-athlete’s athletics activities are conducted as an integral part of the student-athlete’s educational experience.
They also seek to establish and maintain an environment that values cultural diversity and gender equity among their student-athletes and athletics staff. (Revised: 1/10/95)

To achieve this end, Division III institutions:

• Place special importance on the impact of athletics on the participants rather than on the spectators and place greater emphasis on the internal constituency (students, alumni, institutional personnel) than on the general public and its entertainment needs;
• Award no athletically related financial aid to any student;
• Encourage the development of sportsmanship and positive societal attitudes in all constituents, including student-athletes, coaches, administrative personnel and spectators;
• Encourage participation by maximizing the number and variety of athletics opportunities for their students;
• Assure that the actions of coaches and administrators exhibit fairness, openness and honesty in their relationships with student-athletes;
• Assure that athletics participants are not treated differently from other members of the student body
• Assure that athletics programs support the institution’s educational mission by financing, staffing and controlling the programs through the same general procedures as other departments of the institution;
• Provide equitable athletics opportunities for males and females and give equal emphasis to men’s and women’s sports;
• Support ethnic and gender diversity for all constituents;
• Give primary emphasis to regional in-season competition and conference championships; and
• Support student-athletes in their efforts to reach high levels of athletics performance, which may include opportunities for participation in national championships, by providing all teams with adequate facilities, competent coaching and appropriate competitive opportunities.

The purpose of the NCAA is to assist its members in developing the basis for consistent, equitable competition while minimizing infringement on the freedom of individual institutions to determine their own special objectives and programs. The above statement articulates principles that represent a commitment to Division III membership and shall serve as a guide for the preparation of legislation by the division and for planning and implementation of programs by institutions and conferences.