Sept. 12, 2005
VILLANOVA, Pa. - While Villanova Athletics has gained recognition on a national level of late due to its competitive accomplishments, its Athletics Department is also starting to reap the rewards with increased representation on NCAA committees. Three members of the department - Bob Steitz, Senior Associate A.D., Lynn Tighe, Associate A.D./SWA, and Gordon Finch, Assistant A.D. for Compliance - serve on various committees that enable Villanova to be well represented in the grand scheme of the NCAA's initiatives.
Steitz serves on the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee, Tighe is the Big East representative for the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Issues Committee, and Finch is a member of the NCAA Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet under the Agents and Amateurism subcommittee.
Now in his second stint on the Baseball Committee after holding the same position while with the Atlantic 10 Conference, Steitz's primary responsibility revolves around the selection and seeding of the teams in the NCAA tournament. While it is a common belief that the commitment consists solely of the selection meeting in Indianapolis, Steitz is quick to point out that the selection process starts at the beginning of the baseball season. In order to evaluate all of the teams over the entire course of the season, Steitz tries to watch as many games as possible in addition to participating in a weekly conference call to determine prospective candidates for the tournament.
Tighe, who is beginning her term on the Women's Basketball Issues Committee, received the nomination from her Big East colleagues after the position opened up earlier this year. The purpose of the committee is to review the whole spectrum of women's basketball areas and propose changes where necessary. Topics of interest for her committee include game rules, eligibility issues and recruiting restrictions. As a former player and coach in the Villanova women's basketball program, Tighe brings a unique perspective, enabling her to provide a greater understanding of the pressing matters in today's women's basketball climate.
Finch is in his first year on the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet as part of the Agents & Amateurism subcommittee. The purpose of the Cabinet is to review current bylaws, develop legislation where appropriate and propose changes to the Board of Directors and the Management Counsel. Finch's committee's main objective at the moment is to "develop an Amateurism Clearinghouse that is going to work with the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse." The intention of the two clearinghouses working in conjunction with one another is it "will certify international student-athletes as well as domestic student-athletes regarding amateurism issues including agents."
Even though their NCAA committees' responsibilities are diverse, all three Athletics Department members share the belief that being a part of an NCAA committee is a critical component to the University's elevation as one of the premier athletics departments in the nation.
Finch appreciates the honor of being a NCAA representative of the University on the Agents & Amateurism Committee after spending four years with the NCAA as a Membership Services Representative at their headquarters in Indianapolis. He emphasized the fact that "the NCAA is a membership driven organization, and obviously if the membership doesn't participate, then the whole organization suffers." Finch believes the current participation of staff members on NCAA committees speaks volumes for the recognition of the Athletics Department on a national level. Crediting the support of the Athletics Department for encouraging staff members to actively participate, he expressed thanks to be able to represent the department's views on a broader scale.
Similar sentiments came from Steitz, who can appreciate the participation of individual institutions in a membership driven organization dating back to his days as the Director of Championships for the Northeast Conference. In particular, it greatly benefits Villanova to have a voice on the baseball committee that usually features representatives from several nationally ranked baseball institutions. With the growth of college baseball, Steitz has noticed that his position enables the University to gain exposure throughout the entire NCAA membership. He succinctly stated, "If we can have as many Villanova people as possible on NCAA committees, Villanova in itself becomes more recognizable."
Given the size of Villanova, Tighe expressed her gratitude for being an active participant on an NCAA committee. She pointed out "it helps to be on a committee like [the Women's Basketball Issues Committee] because I can represent Villanova and be a voice." While other member institutions have student enrollments several times larger than that of Villanova, the University is on a level playing field since individuals like Tighe can represent the department's positions.
The participation of Steitz, Tighe, and Finch on NCAA committees is a direct reflection of the vision of Director of Athletics Vince Nicastro. Nicastro emphasized "representation on conference and NCAA committees is extremely important." He expressed his gratitude for the Athletics staff's accomplishments by stating, "I am proud that we've developed such a highly regarded administrative staff who are selected to serve on these committees to help shape the landscape of college athletics."
