INDIANAPOLIS---NCAA President Myles Brand and Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Sr., will lead a Town Meeting on college sports June 29 as part of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and the Citizenship Education Fund Annual Conference in Chicago.
The event is open to the public and media from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at DePaul University's Merle Reskin Theater and will focus on increasing the minority community's understanding of intercollegiate athletics. Of particular interest to both Brand and Rev. Jackson is the academic success of student-athletes, including minority athletes.
Also participating in the Town Meeting will be University of Notre Dame football coach Tyrone Willingham; Georgia Tech men's basketball coach Paul Hewitt, Rutgers University women's basketball coach Vivian Stringer; Black Coaches Association Executive Director Floyd Keith; Sam Berrios, who heads a college sports recruiting agency; Tony Dixon of the Dallas Cowboys; and Richard Lapchick of the Center for the Study of Sport in Society.
New York Times columnist Bill Rhoden will moderate the two-hour event.
Rev. Jackson has been outspoken on the need to keep minority student-athletes in college to degree completion, and advocates for a stronger tie between the athletes and the communities that support them.
"The communities need to keep their ties to these kids," Rev. Jackson said. "Parents, ministers, disk jockeys, the barbers, the beauticians - the whole community must play a role in sustaining youth development right through to graduation."
Included in the discussion will be an emphasis on the value of athletics to the education process for young people.
"The town meeting is a significant opportunity to discuss issues around intercollegiate athletics, especially with regard to the importance of staying in college, the life-long benefits of a college degree, and the partnership between education and athletics. Young people should not have to make a choice between getting an education and playing sports. They can do both."
Other topics for the event include the recruiting process and the lack of minority hiring in head coach and top administrative positions.
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