Dr. Lance Tatum has been named to the NCAA Division I Committee on Academics.
Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Troy University, Dr. Tatum will join the committee on June 1. The committee manages Division I academic matters, including policy, eligibility standards and the NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program. It is chaired by a university president and consists of university presidents, a provost, faculty athletics representatives, directors of athletics, senior woman administrators, conference administrators and a student-athlete.
“I am honored to be appointed as the provost representative and look forward to working with my colleagues from around the country on issues and topics that promote academic integrity and academic success for all student-athletes,” Dr. Tatum said. “College athletics forms a pivotal component of any successful university, but, ultimately, provides a pathway for many students to achieve their educational goals who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity.”
Dr. Tatum, a TROY alumnus, was appointed as Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs in 2019, after serving in the role on an interim basis. As the University’s chief academic officer, he is responsible for the creation and implementation of the academic priorities and for the allocation of resources to support those priorities.
“I commend the NCAA for selecting Dr. Lance Tatum for the NCAA Division I Committee on Academics. He has been a key leader in the Sun Belt for many years and is a perfect choice for the NCAA,” said Keith Gill, Commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference.
“He has such an impressive depth of experience through his roles as chief academic officer, FAR and full professor and his wealth of knowledge will provide great value to the NCAA. Dr. Tatum’s intellect and leadership will be critical to the NCAA as it navigates some very difficult issues.”
Dr. Tatum has more than 24 years of experience in higher education, including the past 20 years with TROY. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Tatum served in a variety of administrative roles for the University, including Vice Chancellor for the Montgomery Campus, Vice Chancellor for Global Campus, Dean for the College of Education and Department Chair for the Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion.
After earning both his bachelor’s (1988) and master’s (1989) degrees in education from then-Troy State University, Dr. Tatum earned his Doctor of Philosophy (1993) in education from Florida State University. He joined the University’s full-time faculty in 1998 as an assistant professor after having served as an assistant professor and head coach at Gordon College in Barnesville, GA., and currently holds the rank of professor.
“This is a very important role within intercollegiate athletics, and we are proud one of our own has been selected to represent the Sun Belt Conference,” said Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., a past Sun Belt Conference president.
