About the Big Ten Advisory Commission

Established in 1972, the Big Ten Advisory Commission came to fruition resulting from a racial altercation during a basketball game between two Big Ten institutions. Since it’s inception, the group has since been charged with advising the Joint Group and the conference commissioner in the following areas - academic achievement and quality of student life with the primary focus on the continued examination of issues that face African-American student-athletes. The Advisory Commission is a special and unique group; one that has seen many changes over the past 40 years. There have been several significant actions that have resulted from the Advisory Commission which have been supported through the conference governance structure. A few of these actions range from extending athletic aid to five years to the establishment of the diversity internship.

Advisory Representative

The Advisory Commission is be comprised of one representative from each member institution. The representative shall be a former African-American student-athlete who represented the member institution in intercollegiate athletic competition as an undergraduate student. This individual will be committed to and dedicate their time as necessary to fulfill this appointment.

The Advisory Commission reports to the Joint Group which is comprised of Athletic Directors, Senior Woman Administrators and Faculty Representatives of all Big Ten universities. The Athletics Director shall meet in person, annually, with their respective Advisory Commission representative.

Members of the Advisory Commission shall serve a four-year term. An institution may reappoint a member whose term has expired to consecutive or additional terms (no term limits). Membership terms begin when the commission representative is appointed by its respective institution.

Primary Responsibilities

• Attend/participate in one to two in-person meetings annually.
• Participate in one conference call annually.
• Schedule at least one on-campus visit per year.
• During the on-campus visit, conduct multiple meetings/interviews with administrators, coaches, student-athletes, etc.
• Help facilitate the distribution of the annual online Advisory Commission survey.
• Work with the on-campus Advisory Commission administrator and diversity intern.
• Introduce and continue on-going dialogue with the Student Athlete Advisory Commission (SAAC) chairs on campus.

SAAC Involvement

• The Advisory Commission shall develop and distribute an introductory letter annually from each representative to their respective SAAC counterpart at the beginning of the year.
• The Advisory Commission representative will meet annually with their respective campus SAAC group or their SAAC institution chairs.
• The Advisory Commission shall create a one-page document or letter to be sent to institution SAAC groups annually.
• The Advisory Commission shall provide a mid-year report to the SAAC group to distribute to student-athletes through Facebook, email, flyers, locker room bulletin boards, etc.

Jonelle Polk McCloud - Big Ten Ten Advisory Commission liaison

Mrs. Jonelle Polk was named the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Big Ten Ten Advisory Commission liaison in 2018. As a standout student-athlete for the University of Illinois Women’s Basketball team, she was named a Fast Break All-American by the American Women's Sports Foundation in 1986 and was a two-time All-Big Ten selection. She was named Big Ten player of the week five times over her last two seasons, was a member of the United States pre-Olympic National Selection team in 1987 and was selected to the Illinois all-decade team for the 1980s. Also, a fine student, she won the Big Ten's Medal of Honor in 1987, signifying excellence in both athletics and academics. After receiving her bachelor's degree from Illinois, Polk continued in basketball while playing overseas for four years, taking the court in places such as France, Italy and Germany, and on the U.S. select team in Korea. In 1991, Polk returned to the States and worked on her master's degree in sports administration at Northern Illinois, where she served as a student assistant under Jane Albright for the Huskies women's basketball team. Following her time at NIU, she spent a year as a full-time assistant at Florida State, where she met her husband, Daniel McCloud. Once she received a job offer to coach at Bradley University in her hometown, Polk decided to move back to Peoria. After her time at Bradley, Polk returned to her high school alma mater as the head basketball coach at Peoria Manual High School, where she also served as Assistant Project Director of the 21st Century After-School Program, which provides kids with a place to go from 3-6 p.m. each day. Polk has worked as the manager at Peoria Park District's Proctor Recreation Center for the past eleven years and is more interested in detailing the accomplishments of the young people in her life than her own. Her goal at Proctor Recreation Center is to "provide a safe, fun place for young people after school, filled with recreational activities and a place to do homework." The mother of two daughters - Jonae and Jaida - Polk began a travel team in 2006 called J.E.M.S., which stands for Journey to Empowerment through Motivation and Self-esteem. As the president and founder, Polk leads a group of young girls who either aspire to improve their basketball skills or simply wish to stay active in something positive. J.E.M.S. enjoys a long-standing relationship with area community centers and schools, and through this relationship is able to offer affordable basketball opportunities for students. The goal and mission is to "teach the fundamentals of basketball while developing strong, confident young ladies."