Forum: Razorbacks and the Nation

FORUM: Razorbacks and the Nation/HNRC 300VH-008
Tuesdays 5:00-6:15 P.M., FALL 2022

Note: This is a one-credit course. Only register for one hour of course credit.

Interested? Current students can apply online. Application deadline: Midnight, Thursday, March 31.
Questions?  Contact  John Treat . 

Apply for Honors College Courses

College athletics has witnessed dramatic changes to its structure in recent years. Name, Image, and Likeness. Growing TV and media rights contracts. Pressure to stay ahead of the pack in important areas such as digital marketing and the fan experience. This constantly evolving college sports model impacts all NCAA member institutions, including the University of Arkansas.

In this one credit hour Honors College Forum, Razorbacks and the Nation: An Insider's Perspective into College Sports, students will get to learn about how a major college athletics program is run in 2022. The class will begin with an overview of today’s college sports model, including the effects, both intended and unintended, of recent changes in the law. Throughout the semester, students will get to hear from professionals at the University of Arkansas and beyond who work in a variety of areas in college athletics, from external relations to marketing to even athletic conference administration. Students will even have an opportunity to go behind the scenes of Razorback athletics, getting a close look at both facilities and general operations. Any student who is passionate about college athletics and wants to gain an insider’s perspective into their operations should consider applying for this course.

About Scott Varady:

Scott Varady joined the Razorback Foundation as Executive Director and General Counsel in December 2015 after serving more than 19 years with the University of Arkansas’ Office of the General Counsel.

In his previous role, Varady provided legal advice and representation to the University of Arkansas, including the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. He also consulted with the Razorback Foundation’s outside legal counsel on various matters.

Prior to joining the University, Varady worked as an Associate at Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C. in Little Rock and with the firm of Swidler & Berlin, Chartered, in Washington, D.C. Varady also served as a staff member for the late Senator Dale L. Bumpers and former Representative Bill Alexander. Varady received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1993, graduating magna cum laude, and he was inducted into The Order of the Coif, and was a member of The Tax Lawyer law journal.

Prior to attending law school, Varady received a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 1988, where he also earned the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence.

A Little Rock native, Varady earned a B.A. with Honors in Political Science from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in 1985. Varady is admitted to practice in Arkansas, the District of Columbia, the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.

Varady and his wife, Melissa, have two children, Nathan, who served as a captain of the MIT football team, and Emily, a U of A Honors College graduate.