Frank Messina's statement to the Faculty Senate
Dr. Frank Messina Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) Statement to the Faculty Senate
on December 9, 2014
As the endowed Alumni & Friends Professor of Accounting and a Certified Public Accountant
(CPA), I am entering my 22nd year on the faculty of UAB.
Last Wednesday, December 3, 2014, in an email entitled, “Shared Governance,” I received a
request from the Faculty Senate asking in my role as Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR), if I
was included in the discussions regarding the recent decision to eliminate sports at UAB.
I responded by email to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, providing a timeline outlining
the extent of my involvement as FAR over the course of the last year in meetings with Carr
Sports, a consulting group that I understood was retained to review the performance of the
athletics program at UAB and propose strategies for improvement. I give permission to the
group for that email to be distributed.
Thank you for this opportunity as UAB’s FAR to formally answer this request.
I would like to give you a brief background on my duties as UAB FAR. Much of the initial
information I am about to go over is taken directly from the NCAA’s Faculty Athletics
Representative Handbook.
As a member of the NCAA, each University is required to have a FAR (NCAA Constitution
6.1.3). Faculty voices and influence have been present in the NCAA for as long as the NCAA
has been in existence.
The term “faculty athletics representative” derives from NCAA usage and denotes the perceived
need on the part of the NCAA to involve a faculty viewpoint in the administration of
intercollegiate athletics programs.
I was officially appointed FAR by President Carol Garrison on October 1, 2008. A partial list of
my documented UAB duties as FAR are as follows:
The faculty athletics representative provides oversight and advice in the administration of
the University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics’ programs and plays a strategic role
to ensure athletic integrity, institutional control of intercollegiate athletics, and
enhancement of the student-athlete experience,
Provides advice to the President and Provost that reflects the traditional values of the
faculty, and which is rooted in the academic ethic of UAB,
Promotes a balance between academics, athletics and the social lives of student athletes,
and13
Serves as a bridge between the academic and athletic components of the university
working to more fully integrate athletics into the overall educational mission of the
university.
In my first meeting with President Watts in February, 2013, I provided him with a listing of FAR
duties and a handout from the Faculty Athletics Representatives Association (FARA) entitled,
“What College Presidents and Chancellors Need to Know – Faculty Athletics Representative.”
Included in the FARA document that I gave to President Watts - it states that the FAR should be
an integral part of decision making on athletics though “inclusion in discussions with the
president and athletic administrators on important athletic matters.”
In that meeting we together went through my list of duties along with this handout. I wanted to
make sure that President Watts fully understood the important role the FAR plays in athletic
administration. He stated that he understood and was excited to be working with me as FAR.
Since that time, I have continued to meet with President Watts on a regular basis to discuss with
him various issues related to UAB athletics.
Several times in the past week I have been questioned about my involvement in the decision that
was announced on December 2, 2014, to eliminate certain sports programs at UAB. The only
way I know how to answer that question honestly and completely is to summarize the various
meetings and discussions I have had since February 2013 regarding the future of UAB athletics:
When President Watts became President in February 2013, we had a brief discussion
regarding the viability of the football program, which was struggling at that time under
Coach McGee. We did not discuss, nor was it proposed, that the football program should
be eliminated. Since the arrival of Coach Clark, however, I have expressed to President
Watts on many occasions that I believed that the football program was moving in the
right direction and that with University support and Coach Clark’s leadership, excellence
was achievable.
In early 2014, I participated in three strategic planning sessions with Carr Sports (which
were large group meetings). It was my understanding that the purpose of those sessions
was to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the athletics programs at UAB and what
it would take to improve them. There were no discussions during those sessions of
eliminating any sports programs. It was my understanding that Carr Sports was going to
prepare a strategic plan based on the discussions.
In August 2014, I asked Athletic Director Brian Mackin about the status of the Carr
Sports Strategic Plan and he informed that it had been delayed because of the changing
governance structure taking place within the NCAA which would apparently impact
some financial aspects of the report.
During my regular meetings with President Watts this year we did not discuss the
possibility of eliminating any sports programs nor was I asked my opinion on such a 14
topic. During my meeting with President Watts on November 13, 2014, I specifically
asked him about the rumors regarding the elimination of the football program. President
Watts informed me that the University was evaluating the Carr Sports Strategic Plan and
that no decisions had been made regarding the elimination of any sports. I expressed my
opinion at that meeting that all of our sports programs were very valuable to the
University and asked to be involved in any decision to eliminate any of them.
On Saturday, November 29, 2014, while at the football game with the University of
Southern Mississippi, I asked AD Mackin about the Carr Sports Strategic plan, to which
he replied that he had “done all he could do.” He would not elaborate further.
Concerned about AD Mackin’s comments, I emailed President Watts and Allen Bolton,
Vice President-Financial Affairs and Administration, indicating that as FAR I was
receiving inquiries from faculty, staff, students and alumni regarding the athletics
programs and that I would like to be a part of the process. VP Bolton emailed me back
and indicated that I should be prepared to meet in the next day or two.
On December 2, 2014 at 9:00 am, I met with VP Bolton who informed me that for
financial reasons, several sports, including football, were being eliminated and that a
press conference would be held later that day. During that meeting, I expressed my
opinion that eliminating these programs would have a significant impact on the faculty,
staff, and students, as well as the City of Birmingham, and offered some alternatives. VP
Bolton told me that he would express my opinions to President Watts.
As FAR, I have been entrusted by the faculty of our University to represent them in the
administration of athletics. Based on my understanding of the duties and responsibilities
outlined in the FAR Letter of Agreement – Projected Responsibilities, and based on my
substantial experience and dealings with the past presidents, I anticipated being directly involved
in any meetings and discussions involving the possibility of eliminating any sports program at
UAB. Regrettably, that was not the case in this instance.
I hope that I have addressed your question to your satisfaction. I believe that it is an important
part of my role as your FAR to respond honestly to questions presented to me by the faculty
about my duties. Through my statement here today, as well as the email I sent to the Faculty
Senate Executive Committee last week, I have attempted to do that by providing you with my
understanding of the facts regarding my involvement as FAR in the decision that was announced
last week.
I trust that my efforts to fulfill my duties as FAR by responding truthfully to the faculty’s
questions will not be viewed negatively by any of my colleagues at UAB. I plan to continue in
my role as Faculty Athletics Representative to the best of my abilities and look forward to
continuing to represent you, the faculty, our student-athletes and our University’s best interests.
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Frank Messina's statement to the Faculty Senate
