By Andrew Coen
Brand, who has been the NCAA's chief executive officer since 2003, was part of a forum that featured a diverse panel of administrators, faculty, coaches, athletes and officials from the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC), the Division II conference in which Molloy and other local colleges like C.W. Post, Adelphi and New York Institute of Technology compete. The panel discussed various issues facing college sports, specifically the state of Division II sports.
In an interview after the forum, Brand, 63, a Long Island native who grew up in Jericho and graduated from Carle Place High School, said he feels that Division II athletics has its advantages, since its schools offer scholarships but also strongly emphasize academics. (Division I schools have scholarships and compete at a higher level, while Division III schools offer no athletic scholarships.) "The classes are smaller, there is more attention, more opportunity to work directly with coaches, more playing time," Brand said of Division II athletics. "I think you have a better chance in Division II to stand out amongst your peers and to be appreciated on campus."
Molloy President Dr. Drew Bogner said in a phone interview that he is very satisfied being in Division II, and has never considered making a move to another level of athletics. "Division II, more successfully than the other two divisions, strikes this balance between the classroom and on the court and field," said Bogner. "To provide high quality in [academics and athletics] is what we are about."
Lauren Flanagan, a volleyball player at Adelphi who attended the forum, spoke to the crowd about how she has appreciated the balance she has been able to strike, working at a job in addition to her athletic commitments, which, at the Division I level, are much more demanding. "Division II has been most [supportive] as far as letting students work more hours to support themselves," said Flanagan.
Before becoming NCAA president in 2003, Brand was president of Indiana University from 1994 to 2002 and president of the University of Oregon from 1989 to 1994. He has made improving graduation rates for student athletes among his top priorities, which he discussed at the forum, saying that increasing contact with university faculty and advisors was the key to achieving this goal.
According to Bogner, Molloy's student-athlete graduation rate was ranked among the top three Division II schools two years ago, with a four-class average of 81 percent. In the latest graduation figures released by the NCAA, Molloy's freshman student athletes had a 59 percent graduation rate, while 71 percent of all four classes of athletes earned degrees. Adelphi and C.W. Post both had 55 percent graduation rates among freshmen athletes in the latest NCAA report, while Hofstra, the only Division I school in Nassau County, recorded a 65 percent graduation rate among freshmen who took part in sports. The national average graduation rates for freshmen student athletes were 53 percent in Division II and 62 percent in Division I.
One sport that provides numerous opportunities for Long Islanders at the college level is lacrosse, with many of the top players coming from the region. Brand said he expects more chances for local athletes in the coming years, as the sport becomes more popular around the nation. Most of the growth has been in women's lacrosse, due in large part to Title IX, which mandates equality in men's and women's sports. Currently there are 78 Division I women's lacrosse teams, and 57 men's programs - only six west of Pennsylvania - but Brand said that as high schools out West continue to add the sport, it will gradually move to more colleges despite Title XI restrictions.
"I think [lacrosse] will catch on in the West Coast and migrate to the Midwest," said Brand. "Once it really takes hold in the high schools, it will move to the colleges."
Many sports fans remember Brand as the man who, while president of Indiana in 2000, fired the Hoosiers' legendary basketball coach, Bobby Knight, in the wake of numerous instances of abusive behavior toward his players. "That was five years ago, so people have to get over that," said Brand when asked about his actions.
He said he was impressed with Molloy as an academic and athletic institution, as well as the competitiveness of the NYCAC. "I find [Molloy] to be a strong institution with great leadership," Brand said.
Bogner said that since the forum was so successful, with great dialogue, he hopes it will lead to some form of annual conference addressing college athletics.
Comments about this story? ACoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
