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FSC names 69th honorary chancellor

LAKELAND, Fla. (March 6, 2003) - Dr. Myles Brand, new president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will be honored as the 69th honorary chancellor for Florida Southern College. Ceremonies will take place in Branscomb Auditorium on March 21 at 10:10 a.m. 

Brand, former Indiana University (IU) president, has advocated wide reforms in college athletics. His appointment by the NCAA executive committee served to show its support for the academic success of student-athletes, according to committee chair Robert Lawless in an Oct. 10 Associated Press release. Brand began his five-year contract Jan. 1. 

"Dr. Brand is an esteemed academic leader," said FSC president Thomas L. Reuschling. "He has the perspective to refocus the NCAA on the student athlete. We are fortunate to have him on our campus so early in his tenure at the NCAA."

Brand came to IU after serving as president of the University of Oregon from 1989 to 1994. He has also held positions at several other universities, including provost and vice president for academic affairs at Ohio State University; dean of the college of arts and sciences, dean of the social and behavioral sciences, and chair of the philosophy department at the University of Arizona; and chair of the philosophy department at the University of Illinois, Chicago. 

Brand holds bachelor's and doctoral degrees in philosophy from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y., and the University of Rochester, N.Y., respectively. He has received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters and an Alumni Association Fellows Award from Rensselaer; Sagamore of the Wabash, the highest state award in Indiana; and the Academic Freedom Award from the Association of American University Presses. 

Deeply involved in professional and civic associations, Brand has served on the boards of corporations, hospitals, banks, and academic institutions. He has volunteered his services to the community through the League of Women Voters, United Way, Red Cross, and numerous local agencies.

Brand's distinguished list of publications and presentations covers a wide variety of academic and educational issues. He has written six books and given presentations at universities around the country. 

"It is an honor to have Myles Brand on our campus," said Lois Webb, FSC's athletic director. "This is a wonderful opportunity for our students and faculty to become more acquainted with NCAA interaction with education." In its history, Florida Southern has won 24 national championships, including 14 in men's and women's golf and eight in baseball. FSC's student/athletes as a whole maintain a 2.88 GPA. 

About Florida Southern College
Florida Southern is a four-year, private, co-educational liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The college offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and a master of business administration degree accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Located in Lakeland, Fla., the college is home to the largest, single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world. 

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