In 2010, as the NCAA conference realignment was about to begin, the Knight Commission released a report calling on the NCAA and its member schools to reform their financial and academic practices. According to the report, from 2005 to 2008, spending on major college athletic programs increased by an average of 38 percent, compared to a growth of 20 percent for their colleges' academic spending. Kirwan stated: "There is every reason to believe that the direction the major programs are headed in will lead to further escalation in athletics spending and even greater imbalances in the fiscal priority for athletics over academics." The Knight Commission report made several recommendations: