In a recent study done by InsideHigherEd.com, American college and university presidents from a range of different schools were surveyed on the implications of the past year’s intercollegiate athletics scandals and overspending.
Approximately 68 percent of the surveyed presidents said scandals such as those of Penn State, Syracuse, Ohio State and the University of Miami hurt the reputation of all higher education — not just the schools involved. About half (48.2 percent) said these types of scandals are “inevitable” in big-time college athletics.
“It’s clear that any kind of scandal like those hurts the image of universities and especially hurts the image and public appreciation for intercollegiate athletics,” Interim University President Robert Berdahl said. “Those kinds of things are extremely damaging.”
He said there is a moral standard for people to report illegal things they see, and that there is a need to emphasize that moral standard at every university across the nation in order to prevent these types of incidents.
“Every university has been forced to re-examine its compliance issues with regard to the NCAA rules,” he said, “and I certainly think we need to re-underscore the importance of adherence to the law and not just the NCAA regulations.”
Another part of the survey looked at spending and institutional control. Exactly 75 percent of the presidents surveyed said colleges and universities spend too much on athletics, and only one out of every seven — just 13.1 percent— said that the presidents of big-time college athletics programs are in control their programs.
“When they are promised anonymity presidents will say that spending on big-time college sports is out of control, and they’ll admit that the inevitable scandals hurt higher education,” University economics professor Bill Harbaugh said.
Despite many presidents saying there is a lack of control, just under a third of them (29.6 percent) said that the NCAA’s proposed reform for athletics will achieve “meaningful success,” showing that most university and college presidents are not hopeful about the future of the system.
“I think the most important thing is to make certain that we have a coaching staff and athletic staff and student athletes who are careful and certain that they are adhering to all the regulations,” Berdahl said. “I have confidence in our department and in our staff that we are a program that is strong and compliant.”