INDIANAPOLIS — A year of multiple scandals and tawdry headlines has created a revolutionary air in college athletics, triggering a sense that much is going to be different, and sooner rather than later.

NCAA President Mark Emmert has embraced the idea that the status quo is no longer acceptable, throwing his support behind legislation in recent months that passed at a speed not customary for the bureaucratic group that oversees college sports.

A determination to push forward with change fueled the state of the association speech that Emmert gave yesterday to delegates gathered for the annual NCAA convention.

Emmert urged delegates from member schools to see this era of controversy and upheaval as a time when they can use change to define college athletics as being academic-oriented, rather than totally surrendering to professionalization.

“There’s not any real choice for us,” he said, using no notes during a 22-minute speech.

The NCAA has so often talked about reform during its 102-year history that cynics scoff at the mention of change when money-grabbing conference realignments and scandals — such as the one that landed Ohio State’s football program on probation — dominate the news.

Yet evidence of action and not just talk is percolating through this convention, and the nature of the legislation on the discussion table or recently passed gives credence to the sense that big movement is underfoot.

“This is definitely an historic moment,” Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said. “(This convention) can help provide direction to a paradigm shift in what we do. These are monumental issues that could change our industry for quite some time.”

Reform traditionally has been cumbersome for the NCAA to implement because of the diverse makeup of its three divisions of schools, with more than 350 in Division I alone.

“You’re dealing with public (schools), private, big schools, small ones, (automatic qualifiers), mid-majors,” Kent State athletic director Joel Nielsen said. “We all go about our business in different ways on each campus.”

Diversity in opinions was evident in reaction to the legislation approved in October by the NCAA Board of Directors calling for athletes to be given multiyear scholarships and an annual $2,000 stipend to cover full attendance costs.

Kent State was among a number of schools to have enough concern about both issues to sign an override measure, causing the NCAA to halt those measures until further consideration by the Board of Directors.

After his speech yesterday, Emmert said in a news conference that the Student-Athlete Well-Being Working Group will recommend to the board to “stay the course” on the multiyear scholarship plan but that the group will propose some modifications to the $2,000 stipend.

“And I’m very supportive of that,” he said.

The NCAA is also going full-steam ahead on the academic reform measures approved in August at a retreat of school presidents and chancellors hosted by Emmert in reaction to relentless news of collegiate scandals.

That reform requires schools to achieve a minimum Academic Progress Rate score to qualify for postseason play, including football bowl games and the NCAA basketball tournaments.

“I think, over time, that’s going to have profound impact,” Emmert said.

He eschewed the details of such legislation while giving his speech. Instead, he used his bully pulpit to remind members that although the NCAA has dealt with problems since its creation more than a century ago, leadership is now needed more than ever.

“We need to be willing to focus some of our attention on the very specific notion of responsibility,” Emmert said. “There is a good deal of confusion about who is actually in charge. We need to clarify who is in charge, what different groups’ roles are and what they aren’t.

“Presidents and boards of universities and colleges need to be fully in charge of, and responsible for, their athletic programs. Conferences have to do more than just maximize revenue. Alumni, boosters, people who love these games we all play — they have to understand that being a fan doesn’t mean you are in charge.”

Later, after his audience had dispersed, Emmert acknowledged his belief that NCAA members are willing to do more than just listen to rhetoric.

“I think people are in agreement that we’re on the right track,” he said. “It’s been a difficult year in many respects. People are ready for some consequential change, and we’re moving in that direction.”

tjones@dispatch.com