UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour has been named an inaugural member of the U.S. Olympic Committee’s collegiate advisory council.

The objective of the 11-member panel is to “guide and strengthen Olympic sport programming at the collegiate level,” according to a press release, which noted that the council is the first of its kind.

All 11 members are college administrators, mostly athletic directors. They include Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith and Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, among others.

The committee met last week in Colorado Springs, Colo., and is scheduled to outline specific goals by the end of the year.

Craig Meyer

Female athletic directors at Pitt and Penn State stand out in a field still dominated by men

Per the USOC, nearly 80 percent of U.S. Olympians who participated in the 2016 Games — and 85 percent of those who medaled — have college ties.

Barbour spent several days at those Olympics in Rio de Janiero, where 25 Penn State athletes participated and eight earned medals.

Dave Molinari: Dmolinari@Post-Gazette.com and Twitter @MolinariPG

First Published: October 19, 2017, 6:44 p.m.