MURFREESBORO,  Tenn.—The sport management program at Middle Tennessee State  University announced today that it has released the inaugural issue  of the Journal of Sport  Administration & Supervision (JSAS).

Colby  B. Jubenville, co-founder and publisher of the journal, released the  inaugural issue in conjunction with the commencement of the Southern  Sport Management Conference (SSMC) at Troy University in Troy,  Ala.

“JSAS is proud to release its first issue as SSMC starts this week,”  Jubenville said.

“Like  SSMC, this issue will be a landmark event in turning the attention of  the sport management academy toward serving the practitioner  population of the sport industry, and we believe that its  revolutionary approach to scholarship will continue to attract  cutting-edge research that can make a difference in sport  institutions everywhere.”

March 2, 2009

The event will feature a number of programs with important academic issues being the primary focus.  Topics for discussion include academic support programs for student-athletes, admissions practices, the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate (APR), and plans for academic reform in the college athletics community.

The event, which begins at 8 a.m. Friday morning, will be held in conjunction with the 2009 Sun Belt Basketball Championships which is being held at Hot Springs’ Summit Arena.  This will be the second consecutive year that the league has held its Academic Summit in connection with the basketball championship.

“We had a very good turnout at the Academic Summit last March and we expect active conversation and sharing of best practices again this year,” said Sun Belt Conference Associate Commissioner Dr. Kathy Keene.  “It is important that representatives from our institutions meet regularly because it enhances the culture of academics in collegiate athletics.”

The idea for the event was first conceptualized by the respective Faculty Athletic Representatives at the Sun Belt member institutions, led by North Texas’ Dr. Bill McKee who serves as the Chairman of the group.

National Harbor, MD – The NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct announced an Association-wide sportsmanship effort that will address negative fan behavior at sporting events around the nation.

The initiative called “RESPECT” was announced Wednesday at an Association-wide education session during the NCAA Convention.

A recent survey of student-athletes, coaches, conference commissioners, administrators and fans indicated that fan behavior was the most pressing matter to be addressed at college sporting events.

By Michelle Brutlag Hosick, The NCAA News

Emphasizing that on-ice attacks are unacceptable behavior, Michigan State suspended two hockey players for the remainder of the season for their actions in a game against Michigan January 24. Andrew Conboy and Corey Tropp will sit out the final 10 regular-season games and any postseason opportunities. The Central Collegiate Hockey Association, whose membership includes both schools, supported the action.

Michigan is also revamping its security policies after the father of the victim confronted Tropp in the Spartans’ locker room.

“What happened near the end of the game this weekend is not the way in which we want our hockey program represented,” Michigan State coach Rick Comley said in a statement. “We cannot condone their actions. We felt that we had to send a strong message that this behavior will not be tolerated.”

Leadership Expert Micheal Burt and Middle Tennessee State University’s Rick Insell team up to write a new book on building a culture that WINS

February 19, 2009

Murfreesboro, TN – A pairing of revered championship coaches, Rick Insell and Micheal Burt, have written the fourth and most expansive book of Burt’s career, The Anatomy of Winning- how to REWIRE people to win.

The book shows how to build a culture that wins through seven components.  The Anatomy of Winning- how to REWIRE people to win is geared for both the sporting arena and for business culture as well.

Burt’s  successful experiences as a performance coach and strong sports acumen, coupled with Insell’s consummate coaching experience makes this the ultimate “how to” book for those who want to produce a winning culture on the field, in their industry, or in their lives.