Pitt's Artie Rowell to participate in NCAA process
11/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
GREENSBORO, N.C.--Artie Rowell, a junior center on the University of Pittsburgh's football team, is one of three Atlantic Coast Conference student-athlete representatives who will hold voting power on proposed governance rule changes under the NCAA's recently adopted Division I autonomy process.
Rowell (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) is joined by fellow ACC student-athletes Patrick Andrews, a junior baseball player from Clemson, and Kaila Barber, a senior track and field performer from Notre Dame. The trio will represent the ACC as part of the NCAA's mission to "engage and empower student-athletes by giving them both a voice and vote within a transparent decision-making process."
The NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted in August to restructure how schools and conferences govern themselves, paving the way for student-athletes to have a voice-and a vote-at every level of decision-making.
The new model grants flexibility to schools in the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Southeastern conferences to change rules for themselves in a list of specific areas within Division I. The legislative process for these 65 schools includes the three student-athlete representatives from each conference who will vote on rule changes.
"The addition of student-athlete representation in the new autonomy structure is appropriate and consistent with our overall intercollegiate athletic missions," said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. "Patrick, Kaila and Artie are excellent examples of the outstanding student-athletes in our league and will do a terrific job as part of this new NCAA structure."
"Having the student-athletes vote as a part of the new NCAA structure speaks to the continued commitment to fully understanding the impact of any changes to future NCAA legislation," said Donna Shalala, Chair of the ACC Council of Presidents and President of the University of Miami. "These three representatives will do an excellent job on behalf of their peers."
"We are very pleased that Artie has been selected to represent all of the ACC's student-athletes in the autonomy discussions," Pitt Athletic Director Steve Pederson said. "We have been big advocates of bringing the student-athlete voice into the room and I cannot think of a better representative. Artie is thoughtful, smart, confident and understands the significance of this position. I look forward to his participation and am grateful that he has agreed to serve."
"I am honored to have this tremendous responsibility to represent all fellow Pitt and ACC student-athletes," Rowell said. "I understand the importance of the student-athlete voice moving forward during such an exciting time in the NCAA legislative restructuring. I am very appreciative that Athletic Director Steve Pederson and Commissioner John Swofford have entrusted me with the responsibility of representing student-athletes nationwide. I am excited about the process that lies ahead and the strides that we can make in intercollegiate athletics."
Rowell majors in finance and was recently elected president of Pitt's Student-Athlete Advisory Council. The football team's starting center prior to suffering a season-ending injury in September, he started all 13 of the Panthers' games in 2013 and earned ACC Academic Honor Roll honors. He has been named a Pitt Scholar-Athlete each of the past three years and also earned a place in the Panther Leadership Summit.
Clemson's Andrews is a native of Poughkeepsie, New York, who now calls Hilton Head, South Carolina, home. A mechanical engineering major and a three-time member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll, Andrews battled through adversity after undergoing Tommy John surgery last spring. After being granted a medical redshirt year, he hopes to resume his role as a key member of the Tigers' pitching staff.
Barber, of Middleburg Heights, Ohio, is a pre-professional science major and a member of both the ACC and Notre Dame Student-Athlete Advisory Councils. Selected for Notre Dame's prestigious Rosenthal Leadership Academy, Barber is a two-time NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships finalist and a member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll.