CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference’s annual winter meetings concluded on Friday following three days of business that included the league’s Board of Directors, Athletic Directors (ADs), Faculty Athletic Representatives (FARs), and Senior Woman Administrators (SWAs). This year marked the first time the ACC Board of Directors, comprised of the conference’s 15 Presidents and Chancellors, met as part of this meeting. The event was held in Charlotte, North Carolina, which will become the conference headquarters this summer.
“The last few days with the membership was terrific and the time together during our individual and joint sessions was incredibly valuable,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “As a league we continue to have meaningful discussions related to the future of college athletics and the excitement surrounding the conference. Having the opportunity to be in person with the membership, as well as a number of our business partners, is extremely beneficial.”
The meetings began on Wednesday afternoon and concluded late Friday morning. The first two days included individual and joint sessions of the ADs, FARs and SWAs. At the conclusion of the final joint session, the Board of Directors met with the ADs, followed by the Presidents and Chancellors meeting on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.
The joint sessions, attended by the ADs, FARs, and SWAs, included updates and presentations from ACC Network, ACC CORE (Champions of Racial Equity), ACC SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee), NCAA Transformation Committee and FishBait Solutions. Additional discussion topics included the selection of the 2023 ACC Postgraduate Scholar-Athletes, conference revenues, the College Football Playoff, recommendations from the Olympic Sport Committees and discussions around Olympic Sport policies and procedures, and a review of the ACC Football Scheduling process.
ACC student-athletes Piper Hampsch of Duke (field hockey) and Ben King of Georgia Tech (baseball) joined the meetings and spoke with the ADs, FARs and SWAs. Hampsch is a member of the ACC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and King represented the league at the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee meeting at the recent NCAA Convention.
Beyond the individual and joint meetings among the membership, the Orange Bowl and members of the Charlotte business community were also included as part of the annual event. The Orange Bowl has been the official home of the ACC since 2006, and the nearly 50 appearances by ACC teams in the Orange Bowl are the most of any conference.
Other topics discussed at the meetings included, but were not limited to:
- ACC Football
- ACC Women’s and Men’s Basketball
- Legislation and Legal
- ACC CORE/Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Future ACC Unity Tour
- NCAA Transformation Committee Report
- Future of College Sports
- Disney, ESPN and ACC Network
- Business, Finance and Revenue Generation
- College Football Playoff
- ACC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
- ACC Olympic Sports Policies and Championships