INDIANAPOLIS---As part of NCAA Women’s Final Four activities in Tampa, the NCAA is sponsoring a Women in College Sports Forum on Sunday, April 6.

    Sessions will begin at 9 a.m. at the Tampa Hyatt Regency, Regency Ballrooms I-III. Leaders in women’s intercollegiate athletics will discuss the portrayal of female athletes in the media; lessons learned from successful women in athletics and life/work balance, among other topics. A University of South Florida local organizing committee helped organize the event.

    “The NCAA is looking forward to the opportunity to bring experts, administrators, coaches and fans together to discuss pressing issues for women’s participation in athletics,” said Karen Morrison, NCAA director of gender initiatives and student-athlete well-being. “We have a stellar line-up of speakers who will share their knowledge and insights with students, athletics administrators, coaches and other participants involved in intercollegiate athletics – both women and men.”

    Cost is $50; Students with identification and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association member may attend at no charge.

    To register for the forum, visit https://www.planningpoint.net/Events/2008WCSF. On-site registration will also be available.

    Forum sessions:

9 a.m. – Welcome, Joni Comstock, Senior Vice President, NCAA.

“Breaking Barriers Together: Lessons Learned from Successful Women in Athletics.” Moderator: Barbara Sparks-McGlinchy, Senior Associate Athletic Director, University of South Florida. Panelists: Jennifer Bruening, Connecticut Neag School of Education and Nancy Hogshead-Makar, Florida Coastal School of Law.

10:30 a.m. – “Portrayal of Female Athletes in the Media.” Moderator: Sara Crawley, Assistant Professor, University of South Florida. Panelists: Mary Jo Kane, Minnesota Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport; Kate Hickey, Rutgers Senior Associate Athletic Director; Beth Mowins, ESPN analyst.

Noon – Keynote luncheon address co-hosted by National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA). Introduction: Bernadette McGlade, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and NACWAA President. Sheila Johnson, President and Managing Partner of the WNBA, Washington Mystics.

1:15 p.m. – “Women of Color: Beyond the Rim.” Moderator: Charlotte Westerhaus, Vice President, NCAA. Panelists: Felicia Hall Allen, Leadership consultant; Kenneth Ferguson, University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Law; Anucha Browne Sanders, Senior Associate Athletic Director, University of Buffalo; Janet Taylor, psychiatrist, personal growth and leadership coach.