What has changed about the student-athlete experience since you were competing?

Dan Davies
Senior Associate Athletic Director
Montana State University
Montana State University '78, Football
The biggest change is that we have become considerably more student-athlete-oriented. We conduct exit interviews with our athletes after they've completed their eligibility. We want to find out what their experience was like and how we can make it better for others. Those interviews didn't exist when I was competing.

Also, rules have changed dramatically to help athletes focus on their academics. We now have the 20-hour rule, and the APR. Rules like these have evolved to encompass what the student-athlete is all about and why they're here—to obtain a degree. Overall, the institutions' consciousness of the student-athlete experience has grown and improved.

Brian Chafin
Director of Athletics and Recreation
Centre College
Ithaca College '72, Basketball
People may say, "I miss the good old days when teams were closer and competition entailed less travel," but I don't think that way. When I was at Ithaca College we traveled to schools in a 200-mile radius, and that was about it. I now work at a school where conference play takes us from Texas to Georgia to Indiana, and I think it is a great experience for student-athletes.

Another positive is the upgrading of uniforms and facilities. We're one of only a few Division III schools that have a contract with Adidas. I feel it's important to get uniforms kids are proud to wear. I know I wanted the best uniforms possible when I was competing.

I also like that coaching is now a more complete role, not just an on-the-court job. When I was a captain of the Ithaca basketball team, I basically ran the team in the off-season and preseason. Coaches now are so much more involved, whether we're in the regular season, preseason, or the off-season. Coaches today are also better versed in the psychology and motivation of coaching thanks to more clinics and advances in higher education.

Tim Selgo
Athletic Director
Grand Valley State University
University of Toledo '80, Basketball
The biggest change in college athletics since I was a student-athlete is the growth in both the quantity and quality of women's athletics. I believe it was an important change, as it's great for our male and female student-athletes to share a common experience and support one another.

We've also seen an increase in diversity among leadership positions within the college athletics structure. While there are still improvements to make in this area, when I was competing college coaching and administrative positions were dominated by white males. A main benefit of the increase in women and minorities in leadership positions is that women and minority students now have more role models to look up to. In addition, diversity in people also brings diversity in thoughts and ideas, which is always healthy.

Mark Murphy
Director of Athletics
Northwestern University
Colgate University '77, Baseball, Basketball, Football
Due to the off-season demands of year-round training, there is much more specialization today. I played three different sports in college, but we rarely see even two-sport athletes anymore. An unfortunate development related to specialization is the increased involvement of parents in the student-athletes' careers, especially in high school.

Parents are traveling around the country with their sons and daughters to AAU events and other national tournaments, and they become invested in their children's athletic careers at an early stage. It becomes tough for parents to let go, and at the same time, the sons and daughters have become dependent on the parents. If parents are too involved, the maturation process can be slowed. And it's a shame, because participation in athletics can be a great vehicle to help students mature.

Sue Willey
Director of Athletics
University of Indianapolis
University of Indianapolis '75, Basketball, Field Hockey, Softball, Tennis, Volleyball
In women's athletics, the coaching has greatly improved. When I was playing, it was often just a warm body coaching the female student-athletes. I certainly would have loved to have a coach at the top of their field, and now our women athletes have that.

To make sure our student-athletes have great coaches, when I took over here, I implemented a coaching evaluation system that our student-athletes take part in. We'd always had student evaluations of faculty, but never in the athletic department. And it's not just about their coaching—I ask our student-athletes about facilities, athletic training, how much media coverage they got, academic support, and compliance. Without continually assessing how we're doing, the student-athlete experience won't improve.

On the negative side, we are seeing more sport specialization and fewer multi-sport athletes. It's sad to see because I think there is a real benefit to having a wide variety of sports experiences. But it goes hand-in-hand with society's emphasis on winning at all costs.

In the future of Division II athletics, I think we'll see a lot more mini-Olympic competition for our championships. Our sports festival last May was a really neat event and a different way to structure championships. I think Division II athletics will definitely be enhanced by it, as the fun format draws more spectators.

Mike Hanna
Director of Athletics
Hobart College
Hobart College '68, Football, Lacrosse
I pay a lot of attention to equipment and facilities here at Hobart because in my playing days we didn't have the first-rate protective equipment or the great facilities we have now. I put a lot of time into finding and improving those resources.

Our coaches wouldn't want to hear me say this, but I do worry about how much of the athletes' time we take. And as a parent of a former student-athlete, I wonder whether today's student athletes can still have a well-rounded, balanced social life.

Joe Vogl
Athletic Director
Saginaw Valley State University
Saginaw Valley State University '76, Golf
Academic resources have definitely changed for the better. In Division II, our philosophy is that we want to compete athletically, but we also want our student-athletes to graduate and be productive in society. We now have academic counselors for our student-athletes and computer labs all over campus. I also hold semester-long contests that reward the highest team grade point averages. A plaque is awarded to the men's and women's teams with the top GPAs.

I don't think academics were taken as seriously when I was competing. Team GPAs weren't even a consideration—it was an individual effort. I don't remember having an Academic All-American award.

Julie Hermann
Senior Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator
University of Louisville
University of Nebraska, '84, Volleyball
I'm one of the ultimate Title IX babies. The first year of NCAA Championships for women was 1981, and I was fortunate to be a part of those first four years. I had such a phenomenal experience as a student-athlete—we didn't have the crowds we have now, but we still had good fan turnout. We'd travel anywhere in the country to play great games, we stayed in the nicest places, ate great food, and had nice gear and apparel deals. For women who were even one year older than myself, their experience was dramatically different. I was unbelievably blessed.

There is no doubt that the opportunity to play for that program was a huge catalyst for me even being in this field. I spend my entire day trying to build championship programs—teams in the top 25 and top 10. The philosophy, work ethic, and intensity that I learned while playing transferred to what I do now. I've spent over 20 years in athletics trying to duplicate that same experience for other student-athletes because it was so great for me.