A study of the effectiveness of the national collegiate athletic association's athletics certification program

Athletics certification was approved by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for Division I institutions at its 1993 convention as a key part of the association's reform agenda. The certification program involves a comprehensive self-study which is followed up with a site visit from a peer-review team. The peer-review team files a report with the NCAA Certification Committee which makes the final certification decision. This qualitative study examines the effectiveness of this program during its first Cycle of implementation. All 305 Division I institutions have been through the process. The study involved interviews with selected Division I presidents, athletic directors, conference commissioners, NCAA staff, and staff of the Commission on Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The study addressed seven research questions involving such areas as the perception of the program with faculty, students, and the general public; strengths and weaknesses of the program; whether institutional improvements have been realized because of the program; costs vs. benefits of the program; whether the program helps institutions avoid NCAA violations; and the level of cooperation between the NCAA and SACS. The strength of the program was found to be the institutional self-study which leads to the opening of the athletic doors to the larger university community. It causes institutions to document their activities and provides a cross institutional look at athletics and where it fits in, its needs, and its challenges. Three prevailing weaknesses were identified through the study. First, peer-reviewers were thought to be inconsistent in how standards were applied among different institutions. Secondly, peer-reviewers were perceived as bringing personal agendas to the review and were not always as objective as they should have been. Lastly, it was observed that there was more emphasis on the issue of gender equity than intercollegiate athletic leaders thought was originally intended. The study includes a summary of findings, recommendations for institutions, the NCAA, and SACS, and suggestions for further research as well as emerging issues facing the NCAA as it continues exploring various reform ideas and approaches.