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August 9, 2009

ULM President Dr. James Cofer appointed to NCAA Division I Board of Directors

ULM President Dr. James E. Cofer, Sr. has been named to the NCAA Board of Directors for Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

“I’m honored to have been asked to serve our conference in this manner,” Cofer said. “I look forward to focusing on the continuing development of all student-athletes, especially in the Sun Belt Conference, as well as increasing the participation of students in athletic programs.”

The board is comprised of 18 chancellors and presidents of Division I members. All 11 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conferences have a permanent seat, while seven seats rotate among the 20 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and Division I conferences.

Because of its status as a member of the FBS coalition, the Sun Belt Conference has a permanent seat on the NCAA’s 18-member Board of Directors. As a result, the conference has a crucial voice on some of the most pressing issues in college athletics and will always have a role in the implementation of any future NCAA legislation and guidelines.

“We are delighted to have Dr. Cofer serve on this prestigious panel,” Sun Belt Commissioner Wright Waters said. “He has been an outstanding leader for ULM and the Sun Belt Conference and the timing is right for him to join this group of national leaders. We are confident that he will be a valuable voice for the league.”

Increased student enrollment, campus revitalization, avocation of online degree programs and the expansion of the state’s only publicly supported College of Pharmacy, are just a few of the areas in which Dr. Cofer, who is in his eighth year as ULM’s president, has provided leadership during his tenure. Dr. Cofer is the only Louisianan represented on the board.

He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and his Master of Business Administration from Mississippi State University, and his Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

The NCAA is a voluntary organization through which the nation's colleges and universities govern their athletics programs.

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