Myles Brand: Intecollegiate Athletics Within the Limits of the Academic Mission Alone

During his NCAA presidency, Myles Brand led novel academic reforms that gained deserved national recognition, but his defense of the educational and academic value of IA should be equally acknowledged since this was, for Brand, the ultimate reason why universities should support intercollegiate athletics (IA) in the first place. In this article, I describe the development of Brand’s view of the educational value of IA that preceded his signature 2006 publication ‘The Role and Value of Intercollegiate Athletics in Universities.’ I then explain Brand’s Integrated View of IA in his 2006 article and focus on his key argumentative strategy: the analogy of the educational value of IA to the educational value of performing arts like music and dance. I contend that Brand did not bring his persuasive analogical argument to its full logical conclusions since IA should contribute to a new academic major in Sport Performance and some of the very character virtues that Brand identified as developed ideally by IA are now recognized as essential academic liberal learning outcomes. I conclude by raising some criticisms of Brand’s view based on the organizational framework and policies of IA that create difficulties for the full realization of its educational value. Nonetheless, at a momentous time in U.S. higher education when university priorities and budgets are under perhaps unprecedented scrutiny, Brand’s insistence that IA must be integrated with the academic mission is more relevant than ever.

Are They Athletes? A Self-Assessment of Athletic Identity Measurement and Perceived Benefits of Collegiate Esports Participants

Collegiate esports is a rapidly growing entity that is managed differently across campuses, with oversight taking place in athletic departments, campus recreation departments, student affairs, and to a lesser degree, academic departments. Esports has the potential to support the recruitment and retention of students while supporting the academic mission of universities through co-curricular opportunities in a variety of subject areas. Despite the broad existence of peer-reviewed research debating the consideration of esports as a sport, limited research is available that asks esports participants if they view themselves as athletes. A total of 120 participants completed a survey instrument that included items from the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale-Plus and the Quality and Importance of Recreational Services instruments. From the collegiate esports players included in this research, we see a complex picture of student-athletes emerging.

Women's Work and The Library: Ideological Shaping of the Academic Librarian as the Alt-academic

Overwhelmingly, librarians working at Canadian universities are considered academic staff, if not faculty. However, the role and fit of the academic librarian within the academic enterprise is overshadowed and frequently misunderstood. As alt-academics, librarians' expertise and contribution to the university's academic mission is often sidelined: the nature of the work too frequently viewed through an organizational rather than an academic lens and characterized as preoccupied with a structured set of regularized responsibilities. Drawing on the findings of my doctoral research, an institutional ethnography of librarians' work experiences as academic staff, this article argues that social relations such as those that construct work value are historically rotted and ideologically determined. I propose that our speech, text, and talk, indeed our social consciousness, is permeated by two ideological codes—women's work and the library—that structure librarians' labour in a particular way. Ultimately, I link the devaluation of librarians' work to the necessary gendered exploitation of labour that happens within a capitalist mode of production.

Management of the Clinical and Academic Mission in an Urban Otolaryngology Department During the COVID-19 Global Crisis

Objective The objective of this study was to assess the strategic changes implemented in the departmental mission to continue safe delivery of otolaryngology care and to support the broader institutional mission during the COVID-19 pandemic response. Study Design Retrospective assessment was performed to the response and management strategy developed to transform the clinical and academic enterprise. Setting Large urban tertiary care referral center. Results The departmental structure was reorganized along new clinical teams to effectively meet the system directives for provision of otolaryngology care and support for inpatient cases of COVID-19. A surge deployment schedule was developed to assist frontline colleagues with clinical support as needed. Outpatient otolaryngology was consolidated across the system with conversion of the majority of visits to telehealth. Operative procedures were prioritized to ensure throughput for emergent and time-critical urgent procedures. A tracheostomy protocol was developed to guide management of emergent and elective airways. Educational and research efforts were redirected to focus on otolaryngology care in the clinical context of the COVID-19 crisis. Conclusion Emergence of the COVID-19 global health crisis has challenged delivery of otolaryngology care in an unparalleled manner. The concerns for preserving health of the workforce while ethically addressing patient career needs in a timely manner has created significant dilemmas. A proactive, thoughtful approach that reorganizes the overall departmental effort through provider and staff engagement can facilitate the ability to meet the needs of otolaryngology patients and to support the greater institutional mission to combat the pandemic.

Upholding the Tripartite Mission in Times of Crisis: Purpose and Perseverance in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Academic otolaryngology has historically comprised a tripartite mission of research, education, and clinical care. This mission is greatly strained by the COVID-19 pandemic. Research laboratories are fallow, surgical cases are deferred, and clerkships are canceled. Otolaryngologists are adapting to new circumstances ranging from virtual patient care to urgent procedures in protective gear to deployment to provisional field hospitals. Amid these operational challenges, the specialty is demonstrating extraordinary resilience and grit, discovering new ways to serve learners, colleagues, and communities. Statements from leaders in otolaryngology reveal selfless acts and purposefulness. Necessity has spurred innovation in education, science, and novel models of care. Paragons strike notes of hope, inspiring us to persevere and serve. This commentary explores the present challenges and offers a vision for upholding the academic mission.