Brand and NCAA: Match made in heaven

The process that led to the selection of IU President Myles Brand as president-elect of the NCAA was long and highly secretive.\nThe committee developed criteria they wanted in their next president, promoted the position and sought nominations, said Bob Lawless, president of Tulsa University, chair of the executive committee of the NCAA and a member of the selection committee.\nThe job description was passed on the the search firm of Baker, Parker, and Associates, which consulted over 1,000 people about possible nominations for the position.\nLawless said the name of the person who nominated Brand would not be released. He said the candidates were assured of confidentiality.\nBaker and Parker narrowed the list of candidates and contacted the nominated individuals by phone, seeking their acceptance of the nominations.\nFrom there, those who accepted were interviewed and assessed, without looking at any specific profession or background.\n"We looked broadly," said Jerry Baker, who helped conduct the search. "The search was not limited or focused on any type of person. Corporate executives, government executives and foundational executives were interviewed. It was not limited to academia."\nAlthough Baker and Parker led the selection process to find the candidates, the firm had no further input into who would become the next president. Their job was to find the most qualified candidates and hand them to the NCAA Selection Committee, which made the selection. \nCandidates were cut from 118 to 12, then to the final three, which were made available to the selection Committee at 7 a.m. Thursday.\nLawless said the selection committee asked a series of questions of each candidate, including the most difficult situation they have handled.\n"We were looking for demonstrated leadership qualities among anything else," Lawless said. "(Brand) was very active in the AAU (Association of American Universities) and other organizations. He has demonstrated those roles nationally."\nKent State president and executive committee member Carol Cartwright said the committee was looking for strong displays of leadership in a potential candidate.\n"The committee was looking for the very best person," Cartwright said. "The fact that it was a former president was a plus."\nThe committee voted on the final three and decided unanimously to go with Brand. The decision was announced at 5:30 p.m.\n"This search was as high profile as we've done," Parker said. "The NCAA was ecstatic and pleased with our selections, even though this was one of the toughest decisions ever made."\nBy request of the NCAA, the other two finalists were not made public. But, Baker and Parker said they feel Brand was a clear choice to make it to the last three.\n"Just his sheer intellectual capacity made him a perfect fit for this position," Baker said. "He is a philosopher with an interesting background. He is experienced and seasoned. He has a great ability to make solid decisions."\nA main reason for Brand's selection into the final three was his experience in a rich mix of administrative organizations. The ability he showed when he rescued IU from their budget deficit in 1994 was another feature that impressed both Baker and Parker. \nLawless said the NCAA has been restructuring in the past five years. He said the NCAA is becoming more of an educational organization. Former Rutgers president and executive committee member Francis Lawrence said the importance is being placed more on academics now then before.\n"Athletics plays an important role," Lawrence said. "We need to give the students a fair shot at graduating. It's indispensible for people to get a degree. But it's a big task."\nLawrence said that it was not just one event that made Brand the clear choice. Lawrence said he looked at patterns when he thought of the candidates.\n"The things he has done have been in the best interest of the students," Lawrence said. "He is thoughtful and smart and does his homework. Myles Brand is just superb. I like what he thinks. He will do great things"