Varnes named UF's NCAA faculty representative

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Jill Varnes, interim dean of the University of Florida’s College of Health and Human Performance, has been named the university’s new NCAA faculty representative.

Varnes is UF’s seventh NCAA faculty representative and the first woman to serve in the position at UF. She will assume her new role this summer, succeeding Dr. Nicholas Cassisi, who will retire in June as a professor of otolaryngology and senior associate dean for clinical affairs at UF’s College of Medicine. Cassisi has served as UF’s NCAA and SEC faculty representative since 1991.

“Jill Varnes is a respected faculty member and administrator who is well-prepared to serve the university and its athletics programs,” UF President Bernie Machen said. “She has significant support from the faculty and athletics.”

The NCAA faculty representative’s role encompasses several areas, with an emphasis on eligibility and compliance. The faculty representative works with members of the University Athletic Association staff to ensure UF student athletes meet all NCAA, conference and institutional requirements for eligibility for practice, financial aid and intercollegiate competition. They also work with the UAA to have periodic reports developed on the academic preparation and performance of student-athletes for each of UF’s 20 varsity teams. The faculty representative works with the UAA to put a comprehensive and effective rules education and compliance program in action on the campus.

“My job has been made extremely easy because of the high-quality individuals with great moral principles” who oversee the UF athletics program, said Cassisi. “They are all interested in getting the student athlete to succeed both in the classroom and on the athletic field. Jill Varnes will just take it to the next level and do an outstanding job.”

Varnes began her career on the UF faculty in 1978. She holds a doctorate in education from the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg; and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Florida.