April 3, 2006

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) will host an Opportunities for Women in Athletics Symposium on April 7-9, at the Embassy Suites on the River in Des Moines, Iowa. The Symposium, an initiative developed by the Conference’s Senior Woman Administrators (SWA), is designed to provide female student-athletes with an overview of opportunities in intercollegiate athletics.

“We feel so fortunate that NCAA grant dollars are enabling us to conduct a program that I believe will have lifelong implications for the vast majority of the young women participating,” IIAC Commissioner John T. Cochrane said. “This symposium addresses a very significant need at all levels of athletics and Iowa Conference institutions take tremendous pride in their continuing support of these types of important educational and developmental initiatives.”

Four current student-athletes from each of the Conference’s nine member institutions who have expressed an interest in entering the coaching or athletics administration field were selected by their athletics department to participate. In addition, two mentors from each of the nine schools coaching staffs will take part in the three-day event.

“It is imperative that young women understand the opportunities available to them and that we continue to foster access to, and an understanding of, the important role that women can and should be playing in the conduct of athletic programs,” Cochrane said.

The intent of the Opportunities for Women in Athletics Symposium is to cultivate interest and encourage young women to pursue careers in coaching and athletics administration; to educate female student-athletes regarding the myriad of opportunities available to the women in the fields of coaching and athletics administration, and assist in the development of effective strategies to pursue those goals; discuss the real and perceived obstacles confronting women that impact decisions to pursue and/or to continue their involvement in athletics careers; to assist in creating a network of peers, mentors and potential employers for the Symposium participants.

National studies have shown that young women are not pursuing careers in coaching to anything near a desired level; this has led to a small percentage of female applicants, a lack of female role models in the profession and an absence of support systems in place for those young women entering the field.

When Title IX was enacted in 1972, more than 90 percent of women’s teams were coached by women. Today only 44.1 percent of the coaches of female teams are women and women only comprise 18.8 percent of the total number of collegiate coaches.

It is apparent that many young women are unaware of the rapid growth in the number and varieties of opportunities available to females in athletics. Educational programs, like this Symposium, can help establish a quality pool of interested young women who are informed, motivated and willing to serve as leaders on their campuses in generating additional interest.

Similar symposiums have led to a majority of the attendees pursuing careers in coaching and/or administration, and the Iowa Conference hopes to have similar results.

The Symposium will consist of round table and panel discussions on topics that the Conference SWAs have identified as being of particular interest such as time management, balancing a career and a family, and dealing with parents of today’s athletes.

A trio of nationally-recognized speakers - Kathy DeBoer, Executive Director of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), Christine Grant, former Women’s Athletics Director at the University of Iowa, and Bridget Belgiovine, Director of Division III for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) - will seek to educate and inspire the participants within their pursuit of a career in athletics. Complete biographical information on these three ladies follows this release.

“These three women are among the nation’s elite in terms of the impact they have had and continue to have on creating opportunities for women in intercollegiate athletics,” Cochrane said. “Regardless of gender, they are some of the nation’s most highly respected and charismatic athletic administrators. They bring an invaluable wealth of knowledge, experience, and achievement that our participants will have the privilege of drawing upon over the course of our Symposium. Their presence brings instant credibility to any program they are a part of and we are so appreciative of their willingness to spend this time with these future leaders in the field.”

The April Symposium is the first of two with a similar event being held September 15-17, 2006.

Guest Speaker Biographies

Kathy DeBoer

Kathy DeBoer is a nationally known public speaker on the impact of gender on competitive behavior. She also does popular programs on motivation, teamwork and 21st century leadership. She has written extensively on issues of competition, gender, coaching, and intercollegiate athletics. Her articles have appeared in The NCAA News, the National Federation News, Women in Higher Education, Coaching Volleyball, Coaching Women’s Basketball, and The Soccer Journal. She has authored book chapters for a sports medicine text entitled The Female Athlete and USA Volleyball’s Annual Manual. She also has produced numerous videotapes on volleyball skill development and coaching. Her first book, Gender and Competition: How Men and Women Approach Work and Play Differently, was published by Coaches Choice in 2004.

DeBoer spent twenty-three years in intercollegiate athletics serving as a coach, administrator and fundraiser. She spent eighteen years at the University of Kentucky, finishing her career as the Senior Associate Athletics Director. In that capacity DeBoer directed a $30 million capital campaign and raised over $10 million in private gifts to build an academic center, a softball/soccer complex, an outdoor tennis stadium and a football offices complex. She was the creator of the endowment seat program accumulating $3.5 million in endowment money for student-athlete scholarships, and the “Eruption Zone,” a section of Rupp Arena that increased student access and participation at basketball games. DeBoer also oversaw the Blue and White Fund, increasing annual giving from $2 million per year to $5 million per year.

From 1999 to 2002, DeBoer served as the Southeastern Conference representative to the NCAA Division I Management Council. From 1997 to 1999 she was the chair of the Finance Committee of the NCAA Division I Business and Finance Cabinet.

Prior to her administrative career, DeBoer spent thirteen years coaching volleyball. In her nine years as Kentucky’s head coach the Wildcats compiled a 212-96 record, won three Southeastern Conference Championships, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament four times. In 1987, DeBoer was named National Coach of the Year. From 1980 – 1983 she coached the Ferris State University volleyball team to three conference championships and two NCAA appearances.

From 1988 to 1996 DeBoer served as an advisor to the USA Women’s National Team. She was part of the coaching staff for three Olympic Sports Festival Teams and the 1989 World University Games Team. She assisted with the 1993 Grand Prix in Seoul, South Korea, the 1994 World Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.

From 1978 – 1980 DeBoer played two years of basketball in the Women’s Basketball League, one of the first professional leagues for women in the United States. While competing at Michigan State University she was a finalist for the Wade Trophy, the highest award given annually in women’s basketball. Michigan State University honored DeBoer with the Nell Jackson Outstanding Alumna Award in 1989 and the Alumna Scholar Athlete Award in 1999.

She is currently the Executive Director of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The AVCA is a member-funded, non-profit organization that advocates for the sport at all levels by providing training, awards programs, programming and publications that serve the volleyball coaching community.

Prior to her AVCA appointment, DeBoer spent three years as the Commissioner of General Services for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. In that capacity she managed a $25 million budget, 375 employees, and oversaw the Divisions of Parks and Recreation, Building Maintenance and Construction, and Fleet Services. DeBoer reorganized General Services resulting in a savings of $700,000 annually. She is also the architect of an $800,000 public/private partnership called the Tubby’s Clubhouse/Dell TechKnow project. The program, funded in part by the Tubby Smith Foundation and Dell, Inc., provides computer equipment and training to underserved populations in Lexington’s Community Centers.

She has a B.A. in Humanities from Michigan State University (1978) and her M.B.A. from the University of Kentucky (1988). She is married to Mark Pittman and resides in Lexington, Kentucky.

Christine Grant

As Women's Athletic Director of the University of Iowa, Christine Grant's name and voice become familiar to the world of sports as she crusaded for gender equity in intercollegiate athletics and championed Title IX nationwide. With a coaching staff that was predominantly female, Grant guided the Iowa women's program to a position of national prominence. In addition, Grant has served as an expert consultant to the Health, Education and Welfare Office for Civil Rights Title IX Task Force. She has provided testimony in numerous landmark sport discrimination lawsuits against academic institutions (including Washington State University, Temple University, Indiana University-Pennsylvania, Brown University and Louisiana State University) and has helped mediate a settlement at the University of Texas.

Currently, Dr. Grant teaches two graduate level courses in Athletic Administration at the University of Iowa. She holds a PhD from University of Iowa in Athletic Administration and a BA in Physical Education, as well as a DIP PE from Dunfermline College of PE, in Scotland.

Dr. Grant has received many honors, some being the NCAA Honda Award of Merit for Outstanding Achievement in Women’s Collegiate Athletics, National Association of Girls and Women in Sport Honor Award, Women’s Sports Foundation Billie Jean King Contribution Award and Chairs of various NCAA and NACWAA committees.

Her interest areas are Title IX and equity for women in sport.

Bridget Belgiovine

Bridget Belgiovine currently serves as Director of Division III at the NCAA. Her responsibilities include coordination and support for the Division III governance structure, which includes working directly with members of the Presidents Council, Management Council and all other Division III committees. She was formerly the Director of Athletics at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, a NCAA Division III institution offering 19 intercollegiate athletic sports. She earned BS at Trenton State College in Health and Physical Education, and a Masters degree in Physical Education and Athletic Administration at Springfield College.

She has served as assistant professor, coach, assistant athletic director and senior woman administrator at Springfield College and also taught and coached at the junior and high school levels in New Jersey. Her experience includes teaching health, physical education, coaching courses, and athletics administration at the junior/senior high school and collegiate levels, coaching basketball and field hockey at both levels and serving as an athletic administrator at the collegiate level.

Belgiovine’s contributions in her field include service as a former president of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA) and service in the NCAA structure. She held positions as vice-president for Division III, chair of the Division III Management Council, a member of the Executive Committee, Joint Policy Board, Administrative Committee and several Division III and Association-wide committees. She has presented nationally and locally, focusing on topics such as athletic management, budget development, Title IX and the experiences of women in sport and administration. She also spends time volunteering for several community programs and events in Indianapolis.

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