Myles Brand

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Myles Neil Brand (May 17, 1942 – September 16, 2009^[1]) was president of the United States' National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and prior to that served as the 16th president of Indiana University.

Personal life

Brand was born in Brooklyn, New York. He played lacrosse and basketball as a college freshman.^[2] Brand earned his Bachelor of Science degree in philosophy from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1964, and his Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Rochester in 1967.

Prior to serving at Indiana University, Brand was president at the University of Oregon from 1989 to 1994. Brand's other administrative posts include provost and vice president for academic affairs, Ohio State University, 1986–89; coordinating dean, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Arizona, 1985–86; dean, faculty of social and behavioral sciences, University of Arizona, 1983–86; director, Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona, 1982–85; head, department of philosophy, University of Arizona, 1981–83; chairman, department of philosophy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1972–80. He began his career in the department of philosophy, University of Pittsburgh, 1967–72.

On January 17, 2009, it was announced that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and that his long-term prognosis was not good.^[3] He died of the disease on September 16, 2009.

Tenure at Indiana University

Brand was president from 1994 through 2002 of Indiana University, a nine-campus institution of higher education with nearly 100,000 students, 17,000 employees and a budget of $3.4 billion. Brand oversaw the largest single privatization effort in the institution's history, the consolidation of the IU Medical Center Hospitals and Methodist Hospital to form Clarian Health.^{[citation needed]} He initiated an innovative marketing plan designed to more effectively tell the story of Indiana University's programs and educational opportunities. He led the largest and most successful endowment campaign in the university's history.^{[citation needed]}

Brand may be best known for firing coach Bobby Knight in 2000. Reactions to the firing were varied; public opinion was split evenly with strong feelings one way or the other among virtually everyone. The night of the firing an angry crowd of thousands of IU students converged outside Brand's Bloomington home, the Bryan House, to protest. He was burned in effigy and police escorted Brand and his wife to a safer location.^{[citation needed]}

Despite his effectiveness as a leader and fundraiser, Brand's firing of Bobby Knight caused his popularity among students and alumni to wane. One of his most notable and nationally acclaimed speeches was to the National Press Club in 2001, entitled, 'Academics First: Reforming Intercollegiate Athletics'. He underscored the need for the academic community to acknowledge and address the disparities that exist between intercollegiate athletics and the true mission of higher education.^{[citation needed]}

NCAA leadership

In 2002, roughly two years following the firing of Bob Knight, Brand left Indiana University to become president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, located in Indianapolis. Brand was the first college president to head the NCAA.^[2]

Brand took the helm of the NCAA during a time when it was criticized for not valuing academics and education. Brand, a former college president and academic, was expected to bring new priorities to an institution previously governed by Cedric Dempsey, whose background was that of an athlete, coach and athletic administrator. Brand vowed to improve the overall experience for student-athletes, helping them attain both an education and increasing postgraduate opportunities. In a speech to the National Press Club, Brand said that "intercollegiate athletics can be a vital force in America's culture, exemplifying the positive spirit and values of our way of life," but he also expressed his strong belief "that academics must come first."

Brand has warned that the "arms race" among upper-echelon schools is the biggest dilemma confronting the NCAA's future success. "This spiraling of success demanding even more success has good people of noble intentions chasing both the carrot and their tails", he said.^{[citation needed]}

Under his tenure the NCAA Executive Committee decided not to conduct championships on the campuses of member institutions where the use of nicknames and mascots representing American Indians is considered hostile and abusive.^{[citation needed]}

Brand established a system for tracking each team's graduation rates, and brought attention to the fact that men's basketball teams had lower-than-average graduation rates.^[2]

Following Brand's death, Senior Vice-President Jim Isch was named interim president on September 22, 2009.^[4]

References

External links

• Entrance interview: Q&A with Myles Brand
• Ethics in Sport Radio interview