February 4, 2010

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . A group of Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference student-athletes and administrators will gather beginning Friday, February 5, in Cedar Rapids for the Conference's first Student-Athlete Leadership Conference. About 65 male and female student-athletes plus an administrator from each of the Iowa Conference's nine schools will take part in discussions on leadership, diversity, sportsmanship and the integration of the athletic/academic experience in the three-day conference at the Cedar Rapids Marriott.

Another key component of the weekend will be a DISC assessment administered by the NCAA -- a group psychological inventories that "provide insight on an individual's unique behavioral styles and how those styles affect the way the individual communicates with others." Those sessions will be led by Sarah MacInnis, Assistant Director of Educational Affairs at NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis. "I have had the honor of attending national student-athlete leadership events," said IIAC Commissioner Chuck Yrigoyen. "They can be transformative times, and I am hoping for the same result this weekend. Our student-athletes deserve high-quality programming, and we are thankful to the NCAA for providing grant money that will fund this event."

The group also will hear from nationally recognized speakers. Dr. Bernard Franklin is the NCAA's Executive Vice President for Membership and Student-Athlete Affairs. A graduate of Simpson College, which is a charter member of the IIAC, Dr. Franklin will speak on the subject of diversity at 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Dr. Robert (Bob) Malekoff is an Assistant Professor at Guilford College (N.C.) and is involved with the College Sports Project as part of its integration initiative. The organization has a stated commitment "to strengthen the bonds between intercollegiate athletics and educational values." Dr. Malekoff will present at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Joe Tye is "America's Values Coach" with headquarters in Solon, Iowa. He has traveled the country with his values-based motivational message and is the author of the acclaimed book, Your Dreams are too Small. Mr. Tye's speech begins at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Through the popular Skype technology, the IIAC group will have a chance to visit with Amy Chen, NCAA National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee member and two-sport student-athlete at Newbury College in Massachusetts. The IIAC and the New England Collegiate Conference share a position on the national SAAC, and the Saturday-morning session will be a chance to find out more about what is going on with national SAAC.

For more information, please contact Commissioner Chuck Yrigoyen at (319) 366-4902.

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