Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt's Monthly Comments

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Athletics Director Kirby Hocutt welcomes your comments and ideas. Your email will be read by Kirby and answered by either him or a member of the Ohio Athletics staff. Please include your name and hometown, and if you are a Bobcat let us know your class year. Thank you for your interest, your participation and your support of Bobcat Athletics.

September 27, 2007

Dear Bobcat Fans,

I would like to take this opportunity to share with you a year-long review that has recently kicked off to study Ohio Athletics. This initiative, part of the NCAA Certification program, is designed to ensure Ohio Athletics is maintaining its commitment to integrity in intercollegiate athletics.

NCAA certification was initiated in 1993 and is required once every ten years. This current review marks the second time that Ohio Athletics has proceeded through the NCAA certification process. Ohio was initially certified in 1999.

Consistent with NCAA rules, President Roderick J. McDavis has instituted broad-based participation through the establishment of committees comprising of Faculty and Staff, Faculty Athletic Representatives, Board of Trustee members, students, student-athletes, coaches, alumni, and administrators external to athletics to focus on three primary areas. These areas include: academic integrity, governance and commitment to rules compliance, and commitment to equity and student-athlete well being.

During the course of the study, the appointed committees will have an opportunity to educate individuals on campus and in the community about the strengths, areas for improvement, goals and challenges of the athletics department. It is anticipated that over the next year, the committees will reveal many positive aspects of the athletics department and also identify areas for improvement. As areas for improvement develop, we will have an opportunity to solicit suggestions and develop action plans focusing Ohio Athletics on performing better in the future.

Once the campus committees' complete their work, a report will be sent to the NCAA Committee on Athletics Certification for their initial review. Following their review, a peer-review team chaired by a president or chancellor and consisting of individuals who have a general knowledge of intercollegiate athletics (president/chancellor, director of athletics, faculty athletics representative, senior woman administrator, etc.) will visit our campus to review the areas for improvement identified.

Following the peer-review teams visit, they will report back to the NCAA Committee on Athletics Certification, who will render a final decision regarding certification based upon the information and materials provided to them by the peer-review team and Ohio University.

In closing, NCAA Certification provides a great opportunity for Ohio Athletics to ensure we are operating in compliance with stated NCAA operating principles. We look forward to this process and the identification of opportunities that allow us to sharpen our focus and strive for continuous improvement.

On behalf of our student-athletes, coaches and staff, thank you for your continued support of Ohio Athletics.

Go Bobcats!
Kirby