Myles Brand facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Myles Brand
Brand in 2009
4th President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
In office January 1, 2003 – September 16, 2009
Preceded by	Cedric Dempsey
Succeeded by	Jim Isch (Interim) Mark Emmert
16th President of Indiana University
In office July 1, 1994 – December 31, 2002
Preceded by	Thomas Ehrlich
Succeeded by	Adam Herbert
14th President of University of Oregon
In office July 1, 1989 – June 30, 1994
Preceded by	Paul Olum
Succeeded by	David B. Frohnmayer
Personal details
Born	Myles Neal Brand May 17, 1942 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	September 16, 2009(2009-09-16) (aged 67) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Alma mater	RPI (B.S.) University of Rochester (Ph.D)
Profession	Academic administrator
Scientific career
Institutions	University of Pittsburgh University of Illinois at Chicago University of Arizona Ohio State University University of Oregon Indiana University
Thesis	Some systematic and extra-systematic considerations concerning the description of human actions (1967)

Myles Neal Brand (born May 17, 1942 – died September 16, 2009) was an important leader in American universities. He was a philosopher and also managed several large schools. He served as the 14th president of the University of Oregon. Later, he became the 16th president of Indiana University. Finally, he was the fourth president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Myles Brand's Early Life and Education

Myles Brand was born in Brooklyn, New York. His family later moved to Jericho, New York. He went to Carle Place High School, graduating in 1960. In college, he played lacrosse and basketball.

He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Science, in philosophy from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1964. He then continued his studies. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Rochester in 1967.

A Career in University Leadership

Before becoming a university president, Myles Brand held many important jobs. He worked at several universities across the United States. These included the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Illinois at Chicago. He also worked at the University of Arizona and Ohio State University.

He served as a dean and a provost, which are high-level leadership roles. In these roles, he helped manage academic programs. In 2003, he received an honorary degree. This special award recognized his contributions to education.

Leading Indiana University

Myles Brand was the president of Indiana University from 1994 to 2002. This university system has nine campuses. It serves almost 100,000 students and has many employees. During his time, the university's financial support grew a lot.

One of his most famous decisions was letting go of the men's head basketball coach, Bob Knight, in 2000. This decision caused strong reactions. Many students protested, but the university also saw record high donations. After this, Indiana University hired its first African American basketball coach, Mike Davis. Coach Davis led the team to the Final Four in 2002.

Brand also gave an important speech in 2001. It was called 'Academics First: Reforming Intercollegiate Athletics'. He talked about how important it was for sports in colleges to also focus on education. In 2019, a building on the IU-Bloomington campus was renamed "Myles Brand Hall" in his honor.

Leading the NCAA

In 2003, Myles Brand became the president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NCAA is a big organization. It manages sports programs for colleges and universities across the U.S. Brand was the first college president to lead the NCAA.

When Brand took over, some people felt the NCAA did not focus enough on academics. Brand wanted to change this. He believed that student-athletes should get a good education. He also wanted to help them find jobs after college. He often said that "academics must come first."

Brand also spoke about the "arms race" in college sports. This means schools spend more and more money to be successful. He warned that this could be a problem for the future of college sports.

Under his leadership, the NCAA made an important rule. They decided not to hold championships at schools that used mascots or nicknames that were offensive to American Indians. He also created a system to track how many student-athletes graduated. He pointed out that men's basketball teams often had lower graduation rates.

Myles Brand was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2009. He passed away eight months later, on September 16, 2009, at age 67. After his death, Jim Isch became the interim president. Later, Mark Emmert was named the new permanent president of the NCAA.

Myles Brand's Legacy

Myles Brand left a lasting impact on college sports and education. In 2019, Indiana University renamed one of its buildings "Myles Brand Hall." This was to honor his contributions as their former president.

His collected speeches and writings are available online. A special issue of The Journal of Intercollegiate Sport was also dedicated to him. It discussed his efforts to combine sports with academics. It also highlighted his work for fairness for all genders and races in college sports.