A Stephen F. Austin State University expert on Texas politics and U.S. presidential elections will provide oversight for the academic integrity of SFA’s athletic programs.
Dr. Ken Collier has been named faculty athletic representative by Dr. Baker Pattillo, university president.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association requires each of its member institutions to appoint a faculty athletics representative, who must be on the faculty or administrative staff and may not hold a position in the athletics department, according to Robert Hill, director of SFA athletics.
“Faculty athletics representatives play an important role on college campuses, serving as an advocate for student-athlete well-being, in addition to overseeing academic integrity,” Hill said.
A member of the SFA faculty since 1999, Collier graduated from Longview High School and attended Kilgore College before enrolling at the University of Texas, where he earned both a bachelor’s and doctoral degree in government.
Collier teaches courses on the presidency, elections and Texas politics and is completing a book on presidential speechwriting. He is the author of “Between the Branches: The White House Office of Legislative Affairs” and co-author of “Lone Star Politics,” a textbook on Texas politics currently in its fifth edition. Collier has published articles in journals, including the Journal of Politics, White House Studies, Presidential Studies Quarterly, Public Choice, and Social Science Quarterly.
Prior to joining the SFA faculty, Collier taught at UT and at the University of Kansas, where he also was involved in web design for the athletic department.
Collier is married to Sandy Benavides Collier. Their daughter, Nicole, is a graduate of Austin College and is completing a master’s degree in non-profit management.
Collier replaces Professor Emeritus Dale Perritt, who previously served as the faculty athletics representative. Perritt retired from the SFA Department of Agriculture in August.
