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CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT AND THE ROLE OF FACULTY ATHLETICS REPRESENTATIVES
Mullen, Austin Matthew
Mullen, Austin Matthew
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2025-05
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Policy, Organizational and Leadership Studies
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https://doi.org/10.34944/qw00-xy59
Abstract
This study explored the role faculty athletics representatives (FARs) play in conference realignment decisions and the ensuing transition to a new conference. Conference realignment is not a new phenomenon but the speed at which, quantity of, and magnitude of these decisions fiscally, regionally, and the impact on student-athletes has continued to increase. Recent realignment decisions have impacted athletic department bottom lines (Hoffer & Pincin, 2015; Kramer II, 2016; Pincin & Hoffer, 2013), institutional prestige (Kramer II, 2016), historic rivalries (Havard & Eddy, 2013; Havard et al., 2013), and increased cross-country travel for student-athletes which impacts academic pursuits (Cleveland, 2022), athletic performance (Heller et al., 2024), and personal relationships (Paule-Koba et al., 2021).For the substantial impact modern conference realignment has on the student-athlete experience and higher education institutions there has been no research targeted on the involvement, roles, perspectives, and responsibilities of FARs in the conference realignment process. Afterall, FARs have self-identified their three key responsibilities as ensuring institutional control of the athletic department, maintaining academic integrity, and guarding the welfare of student-athletes (Munger, 2014) all three pertaining to conference realignment and conference membership decisions.
The phenomenological study employed academic capitalism theory (Slaughter & Leslie, 1997) to identify the role of FARs before, during, and after conference realignment decisions. Eleven of 12 FARs played no role in the decision to change athletic conferences, yet all 12 played important roles in serving student-athletes, fellow faculty members, and institutional leaders during the conference transition. The next round of conference realignment is imminent, and it is important for FARs to learn from those that experienced the most recent round of realignment to implement best practices to effectively serve student-athletes and their institution.
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