The Rice University Sport Business Alliance will host the "NCAA Athletic Director Forum" on Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m. in Rice University’s Keck Hall Auditorium. Admission is free and the general public is invited to join the forum.
The panel will include Chris Plonsky from University of Texas, Fred Washington from Prairie View A&M, Tim Fitzpatrick from Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and Rice University’s Rick Greenspan. They will discuss a variety of current issues in NCAA athletics and will also answer questions from the audience.
The Rice University Sport Business Alliance (RUSBA) is a student-run organization whose mission is to create awareness and valuable opportunities for the students of the Sport Management Program at Rice University. Rice seniors Ashten Ackerman and Sam Shainsky will moderate the event.
Greenspan, Rice’s 15th Athletic Director, has 30 years of administrative and managerial experience. He has been the Athletic Director at Indiana University and West Point.
Fitzpatrick is in his first year as the Athletic Director at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He also his experience at universities such as at Indiana, Pittsburgh, West Point, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, and the University of North Texas. He was also the Assistant Commissioner of the Southwest Conference from 1992-1994.
Washington, a 17 year veteran of Prairie View A&M, also serves as the Vice President of Administration and Auxiliary Services, where he oversees not only athletics, but also housing, residence life, university police, as well as multiple other units.
Plonsky, is in her 9th year as the University of Texas Director of Women’s Athletics. She is the liaison with multimedia rights holder IMG College, which does business with the “Longhorns Sports Network”. Plonsky also supervises Texas’ trademark and licensing staff.