EDWARDSVILLE – Cherese Fine, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, has been appointed as the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.“We congratulate Dr. Fine on her appointment as our Faculty Athletic Representative,” said SIUE Chancellor James T. Minor, PhD. “Our student-athletes at SIUE have an impressive record of academic success. I look forward to working with Dr. Fine as she partners with our faculty, coaches, and staff to support student-athletes.”
The FAR serves as a faculty voice, ensuring balance between academics and athletics for the benefit of the student-athlete.
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“I am honored to be selected as SIUE’s third Faculty Athletics Representative,” said Fine. “I want to thank Chancellor Minor, Director of Athletics Andrew Gavin, Deputy Athletic Director Jaci DeClue, and the past FAR Dr. Bill Retzlaff for their support of me in this new role. I am very excited to represent our institution as I advocate and support our student-athletes.”
SIUE is Illinois’ top public institution in graduating student-athletes and tied for fifth nationally. Additionally, this past spring semester, SIUE student-athletes posted a collective grade point average of 3.303, marking the 34th consecutive semester above 3.0.
“Dr. Fine has already proven to be an impactful addition and asset to our athletics leadership team,” Gavin said. “She brings a positive, student-centered approach to the role. I am also excited to learn from Dr. Fine’s expertise and experiences in higher education and intercollegiate athletics.”
Fine joined SIUE in Fall 2020 as an assistant professor in the Higher Education and Student Affairs Program in the Department of Educational Leadership. Her scholarship focuses on the organizational and socio-cultural aspects of intercollegiate athletics. She is responsible for the development of the Higher Education and Student Affairs Athletics Specialization, an online master’s degree that launched in Spring 2023 and the Athletic Leadership Post-Baccalaureate Certificate which also launched in Summer 2023.
At SIUE, Fine currently serves as a representative on the Research and Projects Committee for the School of Education Health and Human Behavior and sits on the Executive Board for the Black Faculty and Staff Association.
She has served as a co-editor of the Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics Special Issue on Activism and College Sport and will be the incoming editor for the Journal for the Study of Sports and Athletes in Education, a journal co-founder by SEHHB’s dean Robin Hughes. She also serves as a board member for the Melvin C. Terrell Educational Foundation.
Prior to coming to SIUE, Fine was a higher education practitioner dedicated to advancing diversity equity and inclusion both at Clemson University and the University of New Mexico. She has developed and coordinated several programs centered on college access and readiness, retention and success.
Fine is a member of ACPA-College Student Educators International, American Educational Research Association (AERA), Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS).
Fine holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Clemson and holds both a bachelor’s in marketing management and a master’s in sport administration from the University of New Mexico.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high-quality education that powerfully transforms the lives of all individuals who seek something greater. A premier metropolitan university, SIUE is creating social and economic mobility for individuals while also powering the workforce of the future. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of more than 12,500.
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