INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA has selected 19 athletics administrators from its membership who will participate in the 2004-05 NCAA Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males program. The first session of the 12-month program begins June 25-27, in Indianapolis.

The following athletics administrators were selected for the 2004-05 NCAA Leadership Institute:

• Damon Arnold, Grand Valley State University, director, academic services for athletics
• Vince Baldemor, University of Hawaii, Manoa, executive director
• Wheeler Brown, North Carolina A&T State University, associate athletics director/internal operations
• Bryant Carter, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, assistant director, event management
• Robert Constant, University of Virginia, assistant director, marketing
• James Garland, NCAA, assistant director of enforcement
• Marvin Green, Jr., Florida A&M University/Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, golf coach/intramural sports director
• Michael Hill, Marshall University, assistant compliance director
• Victor Hill, Kent State University, athletics corporate relations officer
• Julius Holt, University of Arizona, academic counselor
• Andraveka Irby, Saint Louis University, director of marketing and sales
• Steve King, Northwestern University, academic advisor/tutorial coordinator
• Keith Merritt II, Oakland University, athletics academic advisor
• Thomas McKinney II, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, basketball strength/conditioning
• Nigel Roberts, Iona College, academic advisor for athletics
• Bradley Taylor, Colonial Athletic Association, director of championships
• Ayodele Taylor-Dixon, University of Evansville, director of marketing & ticket sales
• David Wyman, University of Miami/Atlantic Coast Conference, associate director of academic services
• Percy West, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, associate director, Thornton Athletics Student Life Center

The NCAA Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males is designed as a model for athletics administrators to receive training and acquire skill sets necessary to advance to leadership roles in athletics. This program is the result of a recommendation by the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee to address the critical shortage of senior-level ethnic minority males involved at the campus and conference levels. According to the NCAA's latest study of race demographics in intercollegiate athletics, minority males account for seven percent of the positions in athletics administration at NCAA member institutions (not including historically black colleges and universities).

The Leadership Institute, which was established in 2001, focuses on enhancing job-related competencies in four professional areas: leadership and administration; human resource management; finance and fundraising; and media and public relations. The participants also engage in a week-long intensive workshop near the conclusion of the 12-month program that encompasses problem-solving techniques involving all four professional area components. All sessions, including the week-long workshop, are held in Indianapolis at the NCAA national office.

To be eligible for the Leadership Institute, applicants must be nominated from NCAA institutions and conferences, and the applicants are required to submit a current resume, a personal statement and a letter of recommendation. A diverse group of recognized leaders in business, higher education and intercollegiate athletics will have presentations during the four development sessions of the Leadership Institute.

The four development sessions are:

Session I - Leadership and Administration - June 25-27, 2004
Session II - Human Resource Management - August 6-8, 2004
Session III - Finance and Fundraising - October 29-31, 2004
Session IV - Booster, Public and Media Relations - February 4-6, 2005

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