Pittsburg State University president Steve Scott has been selected to serve as the new chair for the CEO Council of the MIAA.
The MIAA CEO Council sets policies and schedules to athletic departments in the MIAA. They also construct systems to determine athlete eligibility.
“Basically, the MIAA CEO Council is at the top of the governance structure of the conference,” Scott said. “Within that structure, there are a number of councils, ad hoc task forces, and committees, all of which make recommendations to the CEO Council for consideration. The Council’s primary tasks include setting the annual budget, developing policies and schedules that guide conference activities, and evaluating the conference commissioner.”
As the CEO, Scott will work to ensure issues and concerns are addressed.
“My role will be to facilitate the work of the Council in a way that all members of the conference feel their voices are heard and their concerns taken seriously,” Scott said. “To have a successful conference, we need active and engaged CEOs to provide proactive and dynamic leadership for the conference. As conference leaders, we need to be as agile and adaptive as we expect our student athletes to be.”
There were many factors in Scott’s decision to take up this position. One of them being that as part of the MIAA Council, he can help build up the MIAA until it is the best conference it could possibly be which in turn will benefit all athletic programs who take part in the conference.
“I have said a number of times that for us to have strong athletic programs, we must be a part of a strong conference,” Scott said. “I want to help insure the MIAA is one of the strongest and most competitive conferences in the nation. Pittsburg State’s strategic plan is entitled, Pathway to Prominence. It is essential that we lead not only on this campus, but across the region and nation. This role certainly puts Pittsburg State in a very prominent and important position.”
Scott is looking forward to working more closely with MIAA faculty.
“We are fortunate to have a very capable and professional conference commissioner in Mike Racy,” Scott said. “His experience, leadership skills, and commitment to having the best Division II conference in the nation will make my job more pleasant and even easier. I look forward to working closely with him to serve the conference schools.”
The MIAA is also not the only athletic program that Scott is involved in.
“Over the past few years, I have been very active at the national level in intercollegiate sports,” Scott said. “I’ve served as the Chair of the Division–II Presidents Council, and I am currently a member of the NCAA Strategic Planning Working Group – a committee of 12 campus leaders that is developing a strategic plan for the NCAA. I am pleased to bring these experiences and insights to the conference level. I appreciate the support of my colleagues in allowing me to serve in this role.”