Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Faculty Athletics Representative or FAR ?
The Faculty Athletics Representative is a designation mandated by the NCAA. It typically refers to an institutional faculty member who acts as a liaison with the athletics department on his or her campus.
NCAA Bylaw 6.1.3:
A member institution shall designate an individual to serve as faculty athletics representative. An individual so designated after January 12, 1989, shall be a member of the institution's faculty or an administrator who holds faculty rank and shall not hold an administrative or coaching position in the athletics department. Duties of the faculty athletics representative shall be determined by the member institution. (Adopted: 1/11/89)--NCAA
Is 1A FAR open to FARs from other NCAA divisions?
No. The organization 1A FAR exists solely for FARs at NCAA Division 1A institutions. FARs in other divisions (and subdivisions within the NCAA) are members of the Faculty Athletics Representatives Association (FARA).
Can I belong to the 1A FAR if I'm a faculty member but not my institution's designated FAR?
No. Faculty members who are not FARs may belong to other organizations that are interested in athletics, but only designated FARs can belong to the 1A FAR or to FARA.
What is the rationale for a separate FAR organization that focuses exclusively on NCAA Division 1A?
NCAA Division 1A institutions are an important, if not unique, focal point of the debate about the role and purpose of athletics programs in higher U.S. education today. The 1A athletics programs are the largest, most expensive, and the most well-publicized of any such programs. The forces of commercialization, the arms race, and the critical balance between academic integrity and competitive success are complex issues requiring continuous dialogue among Division 1A FARs.
The conference-driven nature of the legislative process in Division 1 has significantly reduced, at many 1A institutions, the extent of interaction among the CEO, the athletics director, and the faculty athletics representative. A new organization, specifically intended for Division 1A FARS — but with clear and specific intentions to join forces with the Division 1A athletics directors association — could be an effective mechanism for the exchange of ideas, reforms, and the planning necessary to address the unique needs of Division 1A institutions. Many of the issues that must be addressed today require a careful balancing of academic vs. athletics interests, of student-athlete welfare vs. competitive success, and of cost containment vs. additional revenue generation.
A smaller group of faculty representatives (1A only) — focusing on more nearly common problems than those evident throughout all subdivisions within Division 1 — can and should provide a collective voice independent of the conference-driven legislative processes on these issues. Division 1A FARs, as a group, are much more likely to be charged by their institutions to engage these issues, and they are much more likely to receive institutional support that permits a more significant level of such engagement.