Athletic Committee
Membership: 6 Faculty, 3 Administrative/Professional staff outside athletics, 2 ex officio (director of athletics and senior woman administrator in athletics), Chief of Institutional Culture, 4 students recommended by the Vice President and Director of Athletics, Faculty Athletics Representative.
Description: The committee will regularly review issues associated with the welfare of student athletes participating in intercollegiate athletics in ASUN and NCAA sports to ensure that the University and the Athletics Department maintain the proper balance between participation in athletics and academic achievement. The committee will prepare an annual report and other reports as needed, advising the president and the faculty senate of the athletic department’s performance with respect to its academic and athletic goals and with respect to the welfare of the student-athletes participating in ASUN and NCAA sports. The committee will communicate the concerns of student-athletes participating in intercollegiate athletics to the faculty senate and the university community, including the athletics department, the university administration, academic departments, the faculty as a whole, and other groups as warranted.
NCAA Division I Manual 6.1.2.1 Composition. Administration and/or faculty staff members shall constitute at least a majority of the board in control of athletics or an athletics advisory board, irrespective of the president or chancellor’s responsibility and authority or whether the athletics department is financed in whole or in part by student fees. If the board has a parliamentary requirement necessitating more than a simple majority in order to transact some or all of its business, then the administrative and faculty members shall be of sufficient number to constitute at least that majority. (Revised: 3/8/06).
(Approver: Vice President and Athletic Director)
2026-2027 Membership
| Name | Title | Department/Area | Service Term |
| William Russell Longhurst | Faculty, CoSTEM | Physics, Engineering, and Astronomy | 2024-2027 |
| Amanda Estep | Faculty, CoBHS | Health and Human performance | 2026-2028 |
| Barry Gresham | Faculty, CoAL | Communication | 2025-2028 |
| Terri Clark | Faculty, CoE | Educational Specialties | 2025-2028 |
| Susan Cockrell | Faculty, CoB | Accounting, Finance, and Economics | 2025-2028 |
| Michael Cory Schmitt | Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands | Music | 2026-2027 |
| Walt Lord | Vice President for Military and Veterans Affairs (Administrative/Professional Staff) | Military and Veterans Affairs | 2026-2027 |
| Lindsey Gilmore | Associate Vice President for Campus Engagement (Administrative/Professional Staff) | Student Life and Engagement | 2026-2027 |
| Lenora Jackson | Executive Office Assistant (Administrative/Professional Staff) | President's Office | 2026-2027 |
| Jordan Harmon | Director of Athletics | Athletics | Permanent ex officio |
| Riley Bullen | Chief Financial Officer and Senior Women's Administrator (Senior Woman Administrator) |
Athletics | Permanent ex officio |
| LaNeeca Williams | Chief of Institutional Culture and Title IX Coordinator | Office of Institutional Culture | Permanent |
| Kendyle Ball | Student Athlete - Football | Student Affairs | 2026-2027 |
| Mary Kate French | Student Athlete - Cross Country | Student Affairs | 2026-2027 |
| Kiley Hinton | Student Athlete - Softball | Student Affairs | 2026-2027 |
| DJ Merriwether | Student Athlete - Baseball | Student Affairs | 2026-2027 |
| Jennifer Thayer, Chair | Faculty, CoB (Faculty Athletic Representative) |
Accounting, Finance, and Economics | Permanent |