Brand to address college athletics

IU President Myles Brand will speak on "Academics First: Reform in Intercollegiate Athletics" today at the National Press Club in Washington. Brand's speech will be broadcast on National Public Radio and via the Internet at 1 p.m. It will be taped and aired on C-SPAN.\nBrand will discuss the balancing act a university administration must perform to maintain a successful collegiate sports program and keeps its primary focus on academics. Brand will also talk about the conflicts that arise when collegiate sports programs go unchecked and propose solutions for keeping them in line.\nAfter the firing of former men's basketball coach Bob Knight, Brand has emphasized the importance of keeping academics in the forefront of the University's mission. \nAt a board of trustees meeting in September, Brand said, "Athletics has a role to play, but it is not our key mission. Our key mission is teaching, learning and research. Let's get back to the business of the University"