Ohio University announced Thursday the appointment of President Roderick J. McDavis to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Board of Directors and the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Presidential Oversight Committee. McDavis will replace Northern Illinois University President John Peters, who is retiring, and will serve a four-year term, July 1, 2013 – August 31, 2017.
“I am extremely honored to have been selected to serve on the NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors and the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee,” McDavis said. “I hope that my background and experiences will enable me to be a strong advocate for student-athletes in Division I universities over the course of my appointment.”
McDavis, who will represent the Mid-American Conference (MAC) on the Board, was elected by the presidents of fellow MAC universities during the annual spring conference. In Division I, the Board is authorized to adopt or modify legislation, in contrast to Divisions II and III, which consider legislation on a one-school/one-vote basis.
“I am very pleased for Ohio University President Roderick McDavis and his appointment to the NCAA Division I Board of Directors,” said Jon A. Steinbrecher, Mid-American Conference Commissioner. “Throughout my four years as MAC Commissioner, Dr. McDavis has been very engaged with legislative and conference matters and has provided leadership with our budget and finance committee and as a member of our executive committee.”
According to the NCAA, there are 340 member institutions in Division I, and subdivided based on football affiliation. A total of 120 schools are members of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which is characterized by postseason play outside the NCAA structure and also by higher financial aid allocations. The Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) contains 122 schools participating in the NCAA Division I Football Championship. (The remaining 98 member institutions do not sponsor football.)
The NCAA was founded more than a century ago to protect student-athletes, with emphasis on athletics and academics, and is made up of three divisions, I, II and III; each creating its own rules consistent with the overall governing principles of the NCAA. More than 165,000 student-athletes participate in Division I sports, about 35 percent of the total number of student-athletes participating at NCAA institutions.