2015 Southland Conference Spring Meeting Concludes
Southland Conference
FRISCO, Texas – The Southland Conference Board of Directors brought the league's annual spring meeting to a close Wednesday, spending a significant amount of time reviewing internal administrative issues, approving future championship sites, and studying the new NCAA Division I governance structure.
Meeting here at the Westin Stonebriar Hotel, the Southland presidents also approved multiple legislative proposals from the league’s Advisory Council, including new coaches’ recommendations and structural changes in conference governance. The Conference’s officiating committee will be dissolved, and its responsibilities will be absorbed by the league’s athletic directors’ committee.
The Board also endorsed plans to include student-athlete participation in the future meetings of the Advisory Council, an oversight group that consists of faculty representatives, athletic directors and senior woman administrators. The chair of the Conference’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will serve in an ex-officio role with the Council starting next year, mimicking student-athlete involvement in meetings of NCAA councils and committees.
The league’s faculty athletic representatives redefined qualifications and selection criteria for the F.L. McDonald Postgraduate Scholarship, the Southland’s premier academic award, and addressed continual improvement in the NCAA Academic Performance Program.
"This year’s Spring Meeting was certainly more internally focused than perhaps a year ago when we became the first FCS to implement full-time instant replay for football and extended our basketball tournament agreement,” Southland commissioner Tom Burnett said. "We were able to handle quite a bit of inside housekeeping, and the administrators also discussed the new NCAA governance system and how to address autonomous legislative issues such as cost of attendance, the use of which is permissive for Southland institutions."
The Southland is represented in the new national structure by Stephen F. Austin president Dr. Baker Pattillo on the NCAA Board of Governors and Division I Board of Directors, Nicholls State athletic director Rob Bernardi on the new Council and Student-Athlete Experience Committee, Northwestern State athletic director Greg Burke on the Committee on Academics, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi athletic director Scott Lazenby on the Legislative Committee, and Lamar baseball student-athlete Will Hibbs on the national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Southland presidents also approved the appointment of Southeastern Louisiana president Dr. John Crain to the Division I Presidential Forum, an advisory group to the NCAA Division I Board.
In other news, four 2016-17 championship sites were selected during the meeting, including volleyball and softball at Central Arkansas, tennis at Lamar, and soccer at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. A number of 2016-17 championship locations were previously approved, including cross country at Stephen F. Austin, indoor track and field in Birmingham, Ala., basketball in Katy, Texas, and outdoor track and field in New Orleans, La. The 2016-17 golf and baseball tournament locations will be determined at a later date.
The 2017 and 2018 Southland baseball schedules were approved, and the Advisory Council spent considerable time on future basketball scheduling concepts, with more work to come. Also, conference administrators approved new plans for digital video exchange for five sports, and reviewed future television broadcast opportunities.
During the Spring Meeting's Honors Ceremony, the Southland also inducted two new members into its Hall of Honor, former McNeese State football coach, athletic director and president Dr. Jack Doland, and former Northwestern State president Randy Webb, who during his tenure represented the Southland Conference on the NCAA Division I Board of Directors.
Three accomplished graduating student-athletes were honored during the meetings with the conference's McDonald Scholarship: Paxson Guest, men’s basketball, Northwestern State; Megan Schwartz, volleyball, Lamar; and Devyn Weymouth, women’s basketball, Houston Baptist.
Northwestern State’s Jacquelin Strug, soccer, and Daniel Hazlewood, football, were honored as the 2014-15 Steve McCarty Citizenship Award winners. And, McNeese State claimed the 2014-15 Southland Conference Academic Performance Rate Award for overall classroom performance by all teams during the last four years. Northwestern State was presented with the Southland Strong Community Service Award.
The Southland’s presidential leadership will transition for the next two-year term, as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Dr. Flavius Killebrew will become chair of the Board of the Directors, and McNeese State’s Dr. Philip Williams will become chair-elect of the group.