Administrative Impact of NCAA Regulation: A Case Study of the Changes in a "Big Football University"

• In Event: Cultural and Contextual Influences at the Intersection of Education and Sport: Obstacles or Opportunities?

Abstract

Less attention has been paid to the relationship of athletic academic staff members and corresponding institutional operations in supporting student athlete goals. How has NCAA legislation shaped the administrative institutional action at “Big Football University” athletic academic support unit from 1991-2014?
A constructivist epistemological orientation, Organizational Identity Theory, Social Identity Theory, and a case study methodology were used. The most salient findings included the importance of leadership giving legitimacy to the unit, the need for individual staff members to bridge their interpretations of their roles to the campus at large, and the difficulties that leadership faced within the unit itself in creating an environment that was collaborative and inclusive for staff members while appeasing both campus and NCAA goals.

Author

• Laura Mekhail, Case Western Reserve University