INDIANAPOLIS - Kansas City Senior Associate Athletics Director for Internal Operations/Senior Woman Administrator Ursula Gurney has been selected to serve as a member of the NCAA Division I Committee on Academics. The appointment begins Sept. 1, 2017 and will run until August 31, 2021.
The NCAA Division I Committee on Academics supports the primacy of the Association's academic mission through the management of Division I academics matters, including policy, eligibility standards, and the NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program (APP). The Committee on Academics is chaired by a Division I president and consists of university presidents, a provost, faculty athletics representatives, directors of athletics, senior woman administrators, conference administrators and a student-athlete. The Committee on Academics subsumes the roles served by the Committee on Academic Performance and the Academic Cabinet in former Division I structure.
“The appointment of Ursula to the Committee on Academics is a testament to her knowledge and expertise in the field of academics,†Kansas City Director of Athletics Carla Wilson said. “She will represent Kansas City and the WAC well as she accepts this national responsibility.â€
Gurney was named Kansas City's SWA in May 2014, as well as being promoted to the Senior Associate AD for Internal Operations. Prior to her promotion, she was the Senior Associate AD for Academics and Strategic Initiatives. In her current role, Gurney oversees the areas of academics, compliance, sports medicine, sports performance, and is the primary liaison with Kansas City's Offices of Admissions, Registration and Records, and Residential Life. In addition, Gurney serves as a Deputy Title IX officer for the institution.
Previously, Gurney spent seven years in various roles in academic athletic support at Ohio State where she assisted in the academic support of more than 900 student-athletes in 36 varsity sports.
Gurney earned her bachelor's degree in history from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2000. She then went on to earn her master's degree in history from SFU in 2002.