The North Dakota University System distributed the following news release:
North Dakota State University President Dean L. Bresciani has been selected to serve on the newly formed NCAA Division I Presidential Forum.
The forum is the primary presidential advisory body for the NCAA Division I Board of Directors. It includes 32 chancellors or presidents representing each Division I multisport conference. Bresciani will represent the Summit League. Members of the forum provide counsel on current issues in college athletics and the role of sports within higher education.
“President Bresciani is a great choice and will represent North Dakota well for this position on the NCAA Division I Presidential Forum,” North Dakota University System Interim Chancellor Larry Skogen said. “I have every confidence that his leadership experience at the Division I level and as current chairman for the Summit League’s Presidents’ Council will bring experienced leadership to this role.”
Bresciani is the first president of a North Dakota college or university to join a major leadership group of the NCAA. He brings extensive experience with college athletics to North Dakota, gained while he served in leadership positions at campuses such as Texas A&M University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He played a major role in bringing extensive national attention to North Dakota via ESPN’s three-hour Game Day program to Fargo, thanks to his working relationships in the field.
“The NCAA’s selection of President Bresciani shows the organization’s faith in the leadership we have right here in North Dakota,” Terry Hjelmstad, State Board of Higher Education chairman, said. “In the position, Bresciani will be able to provide a voice of experience – both for our state and for the Summit League.”
Bresciani also is chair of the Summit League’s Presidents’ Council.