Pac-12 Conference

2016 CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS 2017-18 PAC-12 CONFERENCE // YEAR IN REVIEW COMMISSIONER INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION: FROM THE COMMISSIONER The academic year 2017-2018 was a great success for the Pac-12 Conference, on and off the field and court. Our extraordinary student-athletes, supported by their coaches and athletic departments, maintained our tradition as the Conference of Champions, bringing home 11 NCAA championships, more than twice the number of any other Division I conference. They also excelled in the classroom and in research. Our Conference had 22 Academic All-Americans, and we honored Pac-12 Scholar-Athletes of the Year in each of our 24 sports. They illustrate our Conference's conviction that athletic and academic excellence can go hand-in-hand, and reaffirm our commitment to support the central academic mission of our member universities. The Conference also maintained its tradition of leadership in other important areas: The Pac-12 Task Force issued a thoroughly researched and well-received report that recommended important reforms in college basketball – recommendations that were unanimously adopted by our 12 university presidents and chancellors, and which have been referred to the NCAA's Rice Commission. We continued our leadership role in student-athlete health and safety, committing another $3.6 million to research projects as well as supporting the Brain Trauma Task Force and convening our annual Student-Athlete Health Conference. Recognizing the increasing importance of global relationships, we expanded our Pac-12 Global initiative with a wide array of events and educational programs, and also expanding the availability of Pac-12 events on Chinese media through our partnership with Alibaba. At Pac-12 Networks, we returned significant revenue to our member universities while fulfilling its mission of broadcasting not only marquee events in football and basketball but also a wide array of women's and Olympic sports, providing exposure to those student-athletes and their universities while at the same time enhancing recruitment. Looking to the future as technology transforms the media landscape, Pac-12 Networks worked with Google to produce immersive virtual reality content and is expanding its relationships with such new media companies as Facebook, YouTube, and others. I want to express my appreciation for the support and vision of our Pac-12 CEO Group, which governs the Conference, as well as our athletic directors, senior women's administrators, and all the coaches and staff, at the Conference as well as our schools. Most of all, I want to express my admiration of our student-athletes, who inspire us every day to help them achieve their dreams. Larry Scott, Pac-12 Commisioner

• Cover