Athletics

Intercollegiate Athletics

This webpage provides various resources on intercollegiate athletics and compliance with Board Policy 4.5: Intercollegiate Athletics.

Please review the Resources section of this page to access athletics policies, procedures, and archived USG Athletics Conference session materials.

BOR Policy 4.5: Intercollegiate Athletics

Board Policy 4.5.1 Purpose: Recognizes that “participation in and enjoyment of intercollegiate athletics are important components of the overall collegiate experience and also provide valuable benefits to the communities in which universities and colleges are located.” The policy manual goes on to state that “decisions made with respect to athletic programs may have significant financial implications for the institutions, and, subsequently, affordability for University System of Georgia students. These programs must be operated in an ethically and fiscally responsible manner consistent with the rules, regulations, and principles of the national intercollegiate athletic associations and the conferences with which the institutions are affiliated (BOR minutes, March 2013).” Management and control of intercollegiate athletics is a primary responsibility of the institution and the institution president. However, System-level oversight of athletics is an important component accomplished through Board Policy 4.5 Intercollegiate Athletics, USG Business Procedures Manual (BPM) Section 15.6 Accounting and Reporting Requirements for Intercollegiate Athletics, and through the efforts of various offices within the University System Office.

The Office of Athletics

The Office of Athletics is charged with:

Supporting the work of the Board of Regents’ Intercollegiate Athletics Committee;
Coordinating the review and submission of athletic program proposals to “establish an intercollegiate athletics program, expand its current intercollegiate athletics program, make a change in conference that requires significant program or resource expansion, or change competition levels” as referenced in Board Policy 4.5.5 Authorizations and Approvals;
*Collecting and analyzing the annual athletics reports required under Board Policy 4.5.6 Monitoring in coordination with the Office of Fiscal Affairs and the Office of Internal Audit;
**Performing periodic reviews of institutional intercollegiate athletics for “financial and program soundness”; and,
Monitoring adherence to the subsidy percentages and athletic operating expense provisions of Board Policy 4.5.8 Funding of Intercollegiate Athletics Programs.

*Institutional points of contact will be provided instructions on completing and submitting required reports.

**Institutions selected for a periodic review will be notified no later than 60 days before the scheduled commencement of the review.