During the 2018 edition of the International Day of University Sport, FISU announced the formation of a new Academic Advisory Board.
The Board was created on the FISU President’s personal initiative with the purpose of promoting University Sports, Olympic values and the FISU brand within a larger university community. The Advisory Board comprises of rectors of various universities around the world, who provide expertise and feedback to further strengthen FISU’s relations with the global university community.
The initial discussions towards setting up this Board had taken place at the Steering Committee meeting in Brussels in November 2017. The Regulations of the Board were then approved on 2 March 2018, during the FISU Executive Committee meeting in Lausanne.
According to the Regulations, the Board should consist of up to 10 members: 2 seats are secured for the rectors of the universities of Turin and Lausanne, 5 are reserved for the rectors nominated by continental university sports federations and 3 members are nominated directly by FISU President.
The first composition of the Board was approved at FISU Steering Committee meeting in Kazan in June 2018. Currently, the Board comprises of:
- Stefano Geuna, Rector of the University of Turin
- Daniel Eduardo Martínez, Rector of the National University of La Matanza, representing FISU America
- Lethlokwa Mpedi, Vice-Chancellor, University of Johannesburg, representing Federation of African University Sports (FASU)
- Hao Ping, Chairman of University Council, Peking University, representing Asian University Sports Federation (AUSF)
- Dawn Freshwater, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Auckland, representing FISU Oceania
The Board will meet once a year to discuss FISU policies and activities. The first-ever meeting of the Advisory Board was held on 22 September 2018.