SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Working with its chief academic officers and designated faculty, the Southern Conference has launched the SoCon Academic Exchange (SAE), a collaborative educational project designed to provide learning activities and opportunities to benefit students – athletes and non-athletes alike – faculty and administrators of the member institutions.
The consortium has received the full support of the 10 presidents and chancellors of the conference. Implementation has been assigned to the chief academic officers working with SoCon Commissioner John Iamarino and his staff.
The basic goals of the exchange are to:
1. Highlight and promote the academic achievements of Southern Conference institutions, their students and their faculty.
2. Advance the academic reputation of Southern Conference institutions beyond their traditional regions.
3. Prepare future leaders for high-level service in academia.
4. Provide a full spectrum of academic opportunities, including those abroad, for Southern Conference students and faculty.
5. Strengthen the affiliation administrators and academic personnel have for other member institutions and the conference itself.
“This new collaboration reinforces our shared values regarding the relationship between academics and athletics,” said Dr. Linda Brady, chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and chair of the Conference’s Council of Presidents. “The SoCon Academic Exchange reflects the commitment of our conference members to success in both athletic competition and academic pursuits.”
The proposed consortium was approved by the SoCon’s Council of Presidents in May 2014. The chief academic officers conducted an initial teleconference meeting in October to identify subject matter to pursue. A subsequent in-person meeting of the group took place in the SoCon headquarters in early January.
Among the early student-related topics identified by the group were shared resources for international study; STEM research projects as well as research projects in the arts & humanities; and promoting admission to graduate school programs among students attending other Southern Conference institutions. A leadership development program was identified as a faculty-related matter to promote proper succession methods for potential provosts, deans and department chairs.
D. Scott Davis, provost at Mercer University, was appointed chair of the chief academic officers. Subcommittees were tasked to find common ground and see where the shared resources of the 10 members can provide greater opportunities for students and perhaps realize an economy of scale efficiency. Teleconferences and in-person meetings will be scheduled to hear subcommittee reports and establish a timetable for action.
“We’re convinced this will become an integral part of the mission of the Southern Conference,” Iamarino said. “The membership considered assembling an academic-based consortium several years ago, but emerging conference realignment issues forced us to delay our efforts.
“Our group of presidents and chancellors recognizes the value in working together to promote the accomplishments of our students and faculty and expand their opportunities. There are so many inspiring examples of the tremendous work being done on our campuses. This will help us tell the story.”
As part of an increased academic focus, the Southern Conference created a Faculty Member of the Year award to recognize outstanding achievement and commitment on the part of member institutions’ faculty. Each member was asked to nominate one candidate, with voting to follow among the Faculty Athletics Representatives (FARs). The winner will be announced in the coming weeks.
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