A quick scroll down the itinerary for next month’s NACDA convention could serve as a state of the union for college athletics.
NCAA transformation. Sports wagering. Burnout. Diversity and inclusion. Name, image and likeness. Facility trends.
All of these hot-button topics will be under the microscope June 26-29 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas for the annual convention for athletic administrators.
This also marks the first time that the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics has gathered in person for the convention since 2019 in Orlando. The 2020 convention was canceled because of COVID-19 and the 2021 event was all virtual.
“The convention will be extra meaningful since it will be the first time we have gathered as a full association in three years and also the first time the convention has been held in Las Vegas,” Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard, who also serves as NACDA’s president, wrote in an email to Sports Business Journal. “Our members have been dealing with a multitude of new issues (NIL, transfers, transformation committee, realignments, etc.) since we last met so this summer’s agenda will be robust.”
Convention details
Dates: June 26-29, 2022
Location: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
Host entities: NACDA and its 18 affiliate associations
Number of educational and networking events: 525
Number of separate individual groups meeting: 50
NACDA chief executive Bob Vecchione said the industry has responded to the challenges facing the enterprise with strong registration results with a month to go before the convention.
The association, which is managing 500-plus meetings and sessions over the convention dates, is on pace to eclipse attendance numbers from before the pandemic.
NACDA’s convention has annually been the primary gathering and networking site for both veterans of athletic administration and up-and-comers who are positioning themselves for their next career move.
“We’re expecting a dramatic turnout for the first time back in person,” Vecchione said.
Former Secretary of State Robert Gates will be the featured speaker to kick off multiple days of content. Gates chaired the NCAA’s Constitution Committee and formerly was president at Texas A&M.
The NCAA’s Transformation Committee will provide an update on how its work is going, led by co-chairs Greg Sankey and Julie Cromer. Sankey is the SEC commissioner, and Cromer is athletic director at Ohio University.
NACDA is seating Sankey and Cromer on a panel with Norfolk State President Javaune Adams-Gaston and West Coast Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez, also members of the influential committee.
Washington State AD Pat Chun will moderate the session, which NACDA is billing as an interactive town hall format with questions from the audience.
A tribute to Title IX with Stanford’s Summer Sanders, UCLA’s Lisa Fernandez, Texas’ Fran Harris and ESPN’s Debbie Antonelli will discuss its 50th anniversary.
