The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the nation's oldest African American athletic conference, is pleased to announce plans to realign its office structure in order to better meet the needs of its member Institutions and corporate partners.
This year's move of the CIAA Basketball Tournament to Raleigh truly brought to light the need to redefine roles within our organization. The time commitment of the CIAA staff and its member schools to plan a tournament as well attended as this year (55,000 attended this year) remains a priority.
Additionally, our commitments to our tournament host city and our corporate partners have expanded over the years and require increasing attention from CIAA management. We must also continue to supply prompt and accurate information to our media partners and member schools and be able to meet the growing needs.
The CIAA has created a new position in the conference office of Assistant to the Commissioner.The assistant will manage the office, handle personnel matters and special projects.
Jeffrey McLeod, a Fayetteville State University graduate and former student-athlete started in this role in April. McLeod holds a master's degree in sport management from the University of Florida, and a law degree from Ohio State University in Columbus. He has served on the Ohio State University Athletic Council as well as a regional director for the Florida Sunshine State Games.
We want to put together a top-notch sports management and marketing team and this is the first step. The CIAA offers history and rich tradition, and this move will be in the best interests of the CIAA and its constituencies.
The CIAA's other plans include a formal job description for a CIAA Tournament Coordinator. I believe this position has truly become a year-round job, requiring planning and coordination with the member schools, host city, sponsors, television and radio partners and marketing company. However, all CIAA staff will continue to be involved in tournament planning.
Our needs as well as that of our constituents have changed. We must lay the foundation with a strong conference office leading the way.
SECOND HALF SUCCESS
I believe in many ways we are experiencing a Zenith with the CIAA. The second half of the conference year was the finest we have ever experienced. As many of you know, our basketball tournament was the most successful ever. We reached many unprecedented benchmarks including:
THE FUTURE OF THE CIAA
Beginning this Fall, we will resurrect the Football Championship game. The division champions will square off at a site to be determined, more than likely Wilmington, North Carolina. With a football championship game, this will allow our two highest rated teams another game to boost their power ratings, and to be better positioned for an NCAA playoff bid.
Additionally, we are working on plans to revamp the Pioneer Bowl. With the belief that the concept was a good one, but that the Atlanta site was not so good, we are looking to improve its fortunes. I believe if we can find a site that will appeal more to our fans, and a sponsor who is amenable to the CIAA as well as the SIAC, we can build a bowl game that will be a success in years to come.
We also continue to remain in the forefront of black college athletics in regards to sponsorship development. In fact, we look forward to building upon our relationships with Ford, National Rental Car, Colgate-Palmolive, and State Farm Insurance Co.
WHERE THE FUTURE LIES
As much success as the men's basketball has enjoyed, one of my foremost goals is to develop a television package for women's athletics. This is not because of Title IX, it is because our conference produces some of the best women's basketball in the country and it should be highlighted.
In addition, we continue to look for new membership for the conference. While there are no definitive candidates at this time, we believe our sound membership will allow us the opportunity to select the institutions most worthy of membership. Along those lines, we are exploring the two-tiered membership concept of Division I and II member institutions.
NEWS & NOTES
The CIAA would like to congratulate Dr. Bernard Franklin of Virginia Union on being named Chair of the NCAA Division II Presidents Council.
Virginia Union's Lucinda Brown was named an HBCC/Speed Stick Scholar Athlete, earning a $4,000 scholarship for her school. Brown is also an Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar.
Also, Jacqueline Batchelor of Fayetteville State was named one of 16 winners of the Sears Directors' Cup Postgraduate Scholarship Award. The awards are presented by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and Sears, Roebuck and Co. Ms. Batchelor is a senior sociology major from Louisburg, NC. She currently serves as the school's student sports information director.
In closing, I believe we all have a great deal to be excited about as we enter into the future. However, do not discount our place in college athletics. I believe the CIAA is the nation's finest conference. If the measuring stick is who has the most professional prospects, then we are not the best conference. If the measuring stick is who has the largest television package then, we are not the best conference. However, if grooming student-athletes to be productive citizens in society is the measuring stick, then we are the best. If having the most loyal fan base in the country is the measuring stick, then we are the best.
I believe today we are the most stable and viable conference in America and for 88 years the CIAA has groomed young men and women to take their place in America.