Second FCS Summit to Convene Before 2012 NCAA National Championship Game
FRISCO,
Texas - The Division I Football Championship Subdivision Summit, a unique
business gathering of university presidents, athletic administrators and other
key stakeholders, will be held Jan. 6 in conjunction with the 2012 NCAA
Division I Football Championship Game in Frisco.
The
second FCS Summit follows last year's successful gathering of approximately 150
guests in Frisco that led to subsequent meetings of FCS presidents,
commissioners and athletic directors, all intent on ensuring the future
well-being of the NCAA's highest level of championship football.
Supported
by the NCAA, the 13 Division I FCS conferences, NCAA Football, and NACDA and
its affiliated FCS Athletic Directors' Association, the FCS Summit focuses on
the important issues related to the subdivision, including its championship
playoff.
"The
FCS Summit is quickly becoming a key event for the subdivision," said Kyle
Kallander, commissioner of the Big South Conference and current FCS vice
president of the Collegiate Commissioners Association. "With the landscape of
intercollegiate athletics rapidly changing, and critical issues such as
championship expansion, FCS enhancement, and CEO leadership to discuss, this
year's Summit is a must attend for FCS members."
FCS
presidents, athletic directors and conference commissioners from around the
country, as well as NCAA staff, television executives and other key football
stakeholders are scheduled to attend the Summit. The Summit will feature
interactive sessions addressing Presidential Perspectives on the Championship
Subdivision and the future of the NCAA Division I Football Championship.
"The
first FCS Summit was a great success, as it re-focused stakeholders on the
importance and future viability of the subdivision," added Tom Burnett,
commissioner of the Frisco-based Southland Conference, "As the first event
exceeded everyone's expectations, it also spurred national discussion among
presidential leaders, athletic administrators and coaches."
The
2011 Summit was followed by the organization and meetings of an FCS CEO Group
that includes two presidents from each of the 13 conferences, and the FCS
Athletic Directors Association Round Table at the 2011 NACDA Convention in Orlando.
Further, the NCAA has recently organized a FCS Working Group, consisting of
commissioners, athletic directors, coaches and NCAA staff.
"We all
know the prominent role football plays on our campuses and have seen how it has
been at the center of most of the recent conference membership issues," said
Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner Tom Yeager. "It is of critical
importance for everyone in the FCS to become engaged in those football issues
that ultimately affect our entire athletic program and sometimes by default,
other members of our conferences. The FCS Summit provides the opportunity to
have this important national discussion."