Big 12 programs to provide full cost of attendance, multi-year scholarships
The Big 12's members will provide athletes with the full cost of attendance to their institutions, scholarships guaranteed for the length of their athletic ability and will also provide financial assistance for athletes who wish to return to campus to earn a degree after leaving school.
The new actions, which were unanimously adopted and announced on Monday morning, will go into effect on Aug. 1, 2015.
"We wanted to make sure and not just look at what is permitted, but put a stake in the ground as to what we're going to standing for," Bowlsby said Monday.
Previously, schools offered students a flat scholarship that did not cover books, full room and board and other possible expenses. Scholarships were also renewed each year and could be revoked by universities.
Bowlsby noted that approximately 95 percent of scholarships are renewed annually, but the move establishes that the league believes in providing a scholarship for the length of time required to get an education.
The Big 12's board of directors began working on a plan to implement these changes late last summer. The league's athletic directors met three times to discuss altering the conference bylaws and the board of directors met in October and held two later conference calls to hash out the details of the major changes.
"Each group has put forth tremendous time and effort to ensure that student-athlete welfare continues to be a priority in the Big 12," said Oklahoma State president Burns Hargis, who serves as chairman for the conferences Board of Directors.
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