MEMORANDUM

 

 

                                                September 26, 2005

 

 

TO:   Divisions I, II, III Management Councils.

 

FROM:  Bridget Belgiovine

              Strategic Plan - Objective 2.1 Team Chair.

 

SUBJECT:  Guiding Principle - Student-Athlete Well Being.

 

 

In support of the “Student-First” philosophy, consistent with specific  NCAA Constitution Principles for Conduct of Intercollegiate Athletics including Student-Athlete Well-Being, Rules Compliance and Competitive Equity and meeting Objective 2.1 in the Association’s Strategic Plan (to increase the application of fair, safe and more flexible regulations that favor student-athletes), the strategic planning team requests endorsement  and incorporation of the guiding principle into the work of the Association including its governance and committee structure.  This principle incorporates and clarifies key terms and will serve to ensure consistency in the application of NCAA regulations and messaging.  The principle should serve as our guide for all discussions and deliberations to ensure that the student-athlete remains at the center of what we do as an Association.

 

The guiding principle was developed by a staff group representing governance, membership services, branding and communications and education services and approved by the Presidents Cabinet on September 12, 2005.

 

The distribution and communication plan includes a series of internal and external components.  Internal staff communication consisted of an all staff message; a targeted e-mail to all senior vice-presidents and vice-presidents for inclusion on a “full staff” meeting agenda; a targeted e-mail to all current committee liaisons for immediate implementation into committee deliberations and inclusion into policies and procedures documents; on the agenda for review during the October post-Council divisional and Association-wide internal governance group meetings and forwarded to the committee coordinator for inclusion into orientation and training programs for committee members and staff liaisons.  External communication and promotion of the principle will occur through the NCAA News; media releases; divisional newsletters; and at NCAA related events, as appropriate.  


Guiding Principle - Student-Athlete Well Being

 

The well-being of student-athletes is at the center of all we do:

 

1.                  Any process must be flexible and timely and include effective communication.

 

2.                  Decisions must be fair, reasonable and consider the potential impact on the student-athlete.