GRANT: Knight Comission on Intercollegiate Athletics

May 27, 2011

Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics Announces New Grants Program

The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics is requesting proposals for grants to support research on intercollegiate athletics policy. The program is intended to enhance the Commission’s long-standing legacy of recommending policy changes to improve the management and integrity of big-time college athletics by bringing new voices into the conversation about how to ensure that athletics programs provide value both to individual athletes and to the colleges and universities that support them.

Proposals will be judged on their originality, feasibility, clarity and, most significantly, their relevance to policy and practice in the areas of concern outlined in the Commission’s reports, to wit:

• Academic integrity and valuable educational experiences for college athletes
• Institutional and organizational (e.g., NCAA, conferences) accountability for academic integrity and responsible management
• Treating athletes as students first, not as professional athletes
• Strengthening the principles of amateurism to prevent the commercial exploitation of athletes
• Rewarding practices that make academic values a priority
• Fiscal integrity of athletics programs
• Greater transparency of finances, including better measures to compare athletics and academic spending
• De-escalation of the "arms race" in spending on athletics
• Promoting the financial sustainability of college athletics and an appropriate balance between athletics and academic spending
• Presidential and academic authority over the operations of intercollegiate athletics

The Commission will award grants for the 2011-12 academic year (including the summer of 2012) for researchers to conduct studies in these areas. The Commission will host public meetings for researchers to present their work to the media as well as leaders in academe and intercollegiate athletics.

To be successful, proposals will need to demonstrate a high level of understanding of the history, structure, politics, and economics of college athletics. The format for proposals may include original scholarship suitable for peer review, policy papers to spur discussion among leaders, or an in-depth journalistic study in print, online, or digital media. Any of these formats will be assessed on an equivalent basis for quality, sophistication, and potential to achieve the identified goals.

Two tiers of grants will be considered. One tier will be considered for funding up to $25,000, based on the quality of the proposal and the justifications in the proposed budgets. The second tier will receive awards up to $5,000 based on the same criteria.

Principal investigators may be affiliated with educational or nonprofit institutions, but proposals from publications and other private organizations will be considered. Multi-organizational and interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged.

The deadline for proposals will be August 5, 2011, and winners will be announced October 24. Final reports will be due on August 1, 2012. For a copy of the full Request for Proposals, please visit www.knightcommission.org. Questions may be directed by email to research@knightcommission.org.

CONFERENCE: Girls & Women in Sport & Physical Activity: Creating Change

The Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota is hosting an exciting conference Wednesday, November 2, 2011 in Minneapolis, MN, preceding the annual meeting of the North American Society of Sport Sociology.

"Girls & Women in Sport & Physical Activity: Creating Change"

This one day interactive, translational, collaborative, multidisciplinary conference will bring together scholars, practitioners, community members, movers & shakers, leaders, and advocates. In the nearly 40 years since Title IX was enacted, significant changes and positive outcomes for girls and women in physical activity contexts are evidenced, yet disparities and inequalities exist in many key areas including for example, gendered participation gaps and media coverage. The focus of this conference is on the future and how collaborative action can help generate action and change.How can we use what we know to make a difference and create change?

The Call For Papers (CFP), registration, and more information about the conference can be accessed and downloaded onour website.

The deadline for abstract submission is July 15, 2011.

JOB: Professor of Education, specializing in Sport & Leisure Studies

Umeå University - with its 36,700 students and over 4,200 employees - is an organisation in constant change and development. Umeå University conducts groundbreaking research within several areas - several in which we are among the best in the world - within others regarded as the leaders in Sweden. We are one of Sweden’s largest providers of education and offer a broad and attractive range of courses and programmes. Our campus constitutes an inspiring environment for everyone that studies and works here. We wish to co-operate with companies and organisations throughout the Umeå region and all over the world.

Professor of Education, specializing in Sport & Leisure Studies

The Department of Education, which is the largest department within the Faculty of Social Sciences, employs some 110 staff for a variety of stimulating tasks in education and research. We teach at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Education and Sports Pedagogy on behalf of the Faculty of Social Sciences and the School of Education. We are engaged in a great variety of study programmes such as the programmes for Sport Science, Human Resource Management and the Police Academy. Our teaching and research commissions are in a phase of expansion. We currently have some 25 doctoral students.

Our department has prioritized five research profiles – Sport Science, Evaluation and Assessment, ICT & Learning, Special Education, and Leadership, Organization and Working Life. The announced professorship is for the Sport Science profile. The role of the professor is to be an active research leader in this field and together with the staff contribute significantly to the further development and expansion of Umeå University as a strong centre in this academic field by complementing and adding to existing strengths. The successful candidate is expected to be an outstanding researcher with an active research programme and a strong track record of publications, able to attract external research funding and to collaborate nationally and internationally with other research leaders within the area and with the surrounding community. The successful candidate should be a dedicated scholar, able to attract and successfully supervise PhD students and to teach students at undergraduate level.

The department’s sport science research is conducted within the framework of the research programme People in Movement consisting of two profiles. In the profile Sport, Culture and Society, sport is studied as a cultural phenomenon where the cultures of the body in a national, comparative and historical perspective are in focus. In the profile Sport and Health, we direct focus towards the compulsory school subject Physical Education and towards the physically active human being in its leisure time. The successful candidate should be able to verify her/his scientific expertise in at least one of these profiles.

According to Chapter 4, Section 3 of the Higher Education Ordinance, a person who has demonstrated both research and teaching skills shall be qualified for appointment as professor.

According to Section 3.3 of the Appointment Rules for teachers (including professors) at Umeå University, research skills are assessed on the basis of the quality and quantity of the candidate’s own research, as well as their skills in research team leadership and research communication. Teaching skills refer to such skills as are listed in section 3.2 of the Appointment Rules, acquired in teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Candidates should have undergone appropriate training for teaching in higher education. Research skills and teaching skills are weighted equally.

According to Section 3.7 of the Appointment Rules, assessment for the appointment of teachers shall be based on the degree to which a candidate possesses the skills required to qualify for the appointment. Furthermore, regard shall be paid to the degree to which a candidate possesses administrative and other skills of importance, taking into account the subject area specified by the university for the position and the duties and responsibilities attached to the position. Moreover, regard shall be paid to the degree to which a candidate possesses skills in developing and managing activities and staff at the university and their aptitude in interacting with and informing the surrounding community about research and developing projects.

Guidelines for applying can be found in Section 3.7 of the Appointment Rules for academic staff at Umeå University, for example:
A general assessment criterion for all academic staff is the ability to work collaboratively, as well as the knowledge, skills and aptitudes required for the fulfilment of the duties and responsibilities attached to the position.
Management skills refer to strategic leadership skills, people management skills and interpersonal skills.

Knowledge transfer skills are demonstrated through, for instance, lifelong learning activities, popular scientific publication and participation in the public debate on issues in research and education.

The university’s policy concerning gender equality will be a factor in the selection process.

Your application should consist of:
1. a brief presentation of your scientific, teaching and other experience of importance for the position.
2. a verified résumé and a list of the publications you wish to refer to. In this list, the 10 most important publications should be marked.
3. copies of diplomas, certificates etc.

Applications may be submitted either electronically or on paper. Electronically submitted documents must be PDF files. Applications and documents on paper: résumé with appendices, list of publications, reports on scientific, educational and cooperation merits must be submitted in triplicate; publications must be submitted in duplicate.

Applications will be discarded or, if the applicant so wishes, returned two years after the position has been filled.

For further information, please contact Staffan Karp, +46 (0)90-786 61 18, staffan.karp@pedag.umu.se or Josef Fahlén, +46 (0)90-786 55 38, josef.fahlen@pedag.umu.se

Union information is available from SACO, +46-(0)90-786 53 65, SEKO, +46-(0)90-786 52 96 and ST, +46-(0)90-786 54 31.
Your complete application, marked with reference number 311-359-11, should be sent to the Registrar, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden to arrive June 7, 2011 at the latest.

We look forward to receiving your application!

SSJ Editor Search Ad

Call for Editor of the Sociology of Sport Journal (SSJ)

Deadline: June 3, 2011

The North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (SSJ) is seeking applications for the position of Editor of the SSJ.

Qualifications and Requirements

Key qualities sought for the position of editor are an established record of scholarship; managerial skills to oversee the editorial cycle and meet deadlines; and the ability to attract respected experts to his or her editorial advisory board. Applicants should have recognized expertise in the field, possess editorial experience, and be able to lead an active editorial board in working effectively with publishing professionals. Applicants must have clear employer or institutional support for this activity for the duration of the appointment, including release time as necessary and general office support.

Term

The term is from November 2011 to November 2014. The first issue for which the new Editor will be responsible is Issue 1 of 2012 which is due in December 2011 and for which reviewing will begin in October 2011. The term of the current Editor, Dr. Pirkko Markula, will be officially terminated on November 5^th, 2011 but, for overlap and hence a smoother transition, she will stay on as Past Editor until November 2012.

Major Responsibilities

Ø Providing a clear vision for the direction of the Journal;

Ø Identifying and appointing qualified members for the editorial team currently consisting of 2 associate editors, 1 editorial assistant and 1 book review editor;

Ø Managing the peer review of approximately 200 manuscripts per year;

Ø Selecting a sufficient pool of competent reviewers to reach conclusions and make decisions on manuscripts in a timely fashion;

Ø Deciding which manuscripts to publish;

Ø More details on the responsibilities of the Editor and a general overview of the characteristics of a good journal editor are provided at the end of this Call-for-Editor.

Stipend

NASSS provides a stipend to offset the costs associated with hiring an editorial assistant.

Search Procedure

Applicants will be reviewed by the Search Committee immediately after the deadline submission date and the Search Committee will make a recommendation to the NASSS Board of Directors.

Application Procedure

The application package should include:

1. A cover letter with a statement of institutional support (see first paragraph above) and a vision statement (goals and plans for the content of the SSJ as well as an assessment of the current strengths, weaknesses or gaps that could be addressed);

2. A CV;

3. Names of at least three references;

Send your application package via email to the Secretary of the Search Committee, Dr. Katherine Jamieson:kmjamies@gmail.com

Additional Information

Please find below a general overview of the characteristics of a good journal editor. This overview also provides additional details with regards to the responsibilities of the SSJ Editor:

Ø Broad knowledge of the field: Because SSJ is an association journal (NASSS), its remit is to publish papers from this broadly defined field. Consequently, SSJ receives/publishes papers from a wide-range of topics, theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and countries. To be able to provide a fair assessment of each paper, the editor should be knowledgeable of many facets of social theory as well as quantitative methodology and the entire range of qualitative approaches. In addition, the SSJ Editor needs to be able to put his/her own preferences aside to think of serving the field.

Ø Broad understanding of the contributing scholars: As reviewer selection is crucial in a peer reviewed journal, the SSJ Editor needs to have a good knowledge of individual scholars in our field and their expertise to assign appropriate reviewers. In addition, to appoint an appropriate editorial board, the Editor should be able to invite committed and knowledgeable scholars from the field of sport sociology.

Ø Time management: It is essential that the Editor be committed to moving on the submitted papers promptly (i.e., to assign the appropriate associate editor, assign reviewers, make the final decision). Without this, it is not possible to fill the issues in a timely manner. Neither is it possible to service the authors and our field in a respectful and supportive manner. Usually senior scholars who have been tenured can afford to take the required amount of time for editing a journal.

Ø Leadership and decision-making skills: As SSJ now operates through an editorial team, the Editor is required to provide leadership for this team. This includes advising and supporting the associate editors, the book review editor, and the editorial assistant. The Editor makes the final decision on each manuscript (the associate editors and the reviewers provide recommendations) and is responsible of filling each issue. In a peer-reviewed journal, the review process can take a substantial amount of time. Consequently, the Editor needs to be able to plan long term in addition to continually making decisions regarding the individual papers. Even with the help of reviewer recommendations and the associate editor recommendations, the decision making is often complicated and complex. In addition, the Editor is the contact person with the publisher and, thus, needs to be able to negotiate this relationship.

Ø Initiative and dedication: Much of the Editor’s work is managing the day-to-day business of the journal and being an effective manager is an important characteristic of an Editor. However, good editors are also dedicated to work beyond managing the journal to provide new initiatives for the journal. This might include actively working on proposals for special issues, working with the editorial board, and thinking of ways to improve the quality of SSJ.

Ø Attention to detail and people skills: As the Editor deals with the publisher, the editorial team, the board of editors, the authors, and the reviewers, s/he needs to be continually attentive to a myriad of details. Most of these involve people in one way or another and the Editor needs good “people” and communication skills. In addition, as publishing is an important part of the academic promotion process, dealing with the authors often requires careful negotiation between the author’s satisfaction and the quality of the article. As it is common to receive frustrated comments from the authors, the Editor should be able to handle these situations in a constructive manner. It is also important to be respectful to the reviewers whose work is crucial for the journal, but often goes quite unnoticed. Selecting a good editorial assistant is also important as s/he directly deals with many of the authors and reviewers.