Executive Summary
Division III Chancellor/Presidents
Advisory Group Meeting
President Ivory Nelson, chair for the Division III
Presidents Council welcomed the members of the Chancellor/Presidents Advisory Group
and
Overview
of Advisory Group. Dan Dutcher, vice-president for Division
III noted that the
Advisory Group was established in response to the desire of the Division III
Objectives.
·
Enhance the level
of understanding in the NCAA governance process related to key
issues facing Division III.
·
Enhance the
leadership of chancellor/presidents in the governance of intercollegiate
athletics at the national, conference/independent and institutional levels with
special
emphasis on key legislative proposals and policies and strategic direction.
·
Enhance the
integration of athletics programs within the educational mission of Division
III schools and conferences.
Special emphasis placed on strategic initiatives implemented through the
new Division III Strategic Initiatives Conference Grant Program.
·
Better recognize
and accommodate the differing models of conference governance and expectations
of leadership by chancellor/presidents within Division III.
Structure
of the Advisory Group.
·
One
chancellor/president from each Division III voting conference not currently
represented on the
Appropriate efforts shall be made to ensure the diversity of the group
including, at a minimum, at least one person who is an ethnic minority and at
least two persons of each gender; a single member shall not be considered to
meet both minimums.
·
Each conference
executive of conferences not currently represented was asked to identify a chancellor/president
to serve on the Advisory Group.
·
Primary duties
include advising and providing input to the fifteen members of the Division III
chancellor/president colleagues in their respective conferences/group of independents.
·
Advisory Group
members serve a minimum of two years, and a maximum of three years. Alternates or designees
(chancellor/president only) may be invited to attend the meeting, if
necessary. Advisory Group members
will be encouraged to assume vacancies on the Division III
·
In-person
meetings will be held in August, immediately prior to the
Discussion
Topics.
Division
III Strategic Plan. Bridget Belgiovine, director of Division
III, provided an overview of the framework and development of the strategic
plan, noting its significance for planning and budget functions for the
division. The group discussed the goals
and outcome measures and
encouraged greater clarity and distinction throughout the plan related to areas
of broad division-wide vs. institution specific considerations and
implications.
Division
III Budget. The group discussed the principles for
allocation of Division III resources between championships (approximately 75
percent) and non-championships (approximately 25 percent) initiatives. The Division III allocation of resources
is currently based on a 3.18 percent of the Association’s annual revenues
(2006-07 - $17,826,000). The
percentage is rooted in championships allocations which existed when the
Association federated in 1997. The group
also reviewed the history and evolution for the Division III reserve fund
(2006-07 - $7,370,181), as well as the current mandated annual reserve of 10
percent of Division III revenue (2006-07 annual reserve = $90,340).
Division
III Strategic Initiatives Conference Grant Program. The group
reviewed the
oversight role of chancellors/presidents in the allocation of resources and
determination of institutional and conference-wide educational programming
related to the new grant program,
effective 2006-07. The group noted that
the allocated $1,503,250 may not be sufficient on a per conference basis
($31,000 to 46,000) to engage chancellors/presidents. The group recommended that the Division
III
resources from the Division III reserve.
The group also noted that five programs totaling
approximately $2,195,000 will remain under National Office oversight including:
Women and Minority Internship
Grant; Strategic Alliance Matching Grant; Student-Athlete Leadership Conferences;
SWA Enhancement - NAWAA/Hers Institute and the National Association of Division
III Athletics Administrators Partnership to support an annual Forum. The total Division III allocation of
resources to support nonchampionships initiatives for 2006-07 is approximately
$4.8 million.
Student-Athlete
Well-Being. The group received an update on a
division-wide drug education and drug testing pilot initiative. The group sought to balance the desire
to battle
campus-wide alcohol and drug abuse through education and the NCAA’s
interest in competitive equity and student-athlete health and safety. Among questions raised were the objective
of drug testing and concerns about testing student-athletes different from
other groups of students.
Others noted that from survey data and observations by
student-athletes, at least some level of substance abuse apparently occurs in
Division III athletics, and that the pilot program represents a modest effort
to understand the extent of the problem through education and testing. The
program includes:
1.
Allocating
$325,000 for 2006-07 to enhance alcohol, tobacco and other drug education programming
for Division III member institutions through two existing NCAA grant
programs (i.e., CHOICES Grant and NCAA Health and Safety Speakers Grants).
2. Implementing a voluntary
two-year (academic-year September-May) comprehensive drug education and testing
pilot program without penalties to include pre- and post survey for
approximately 100 Division III institutions, effective 2007-08.
Annual cost approximately $600,000 (education $100,000; testing $400,000-500,000,
with up to $250,000 of Association-wide funding).
3.
Recommending
the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (CSMAS)
pursue social norming information and data related to use of performance
enhancing drugs by Division III student-athletes.
[NOTE: The
Presidents Council, at its August 3 meeting, approved the program.]
Division
III Membership Growth and Related Issues. The group received an update
on the work of the NCAA Executive Committee Working Group to Study Membership
Issues; the North Coast Athletic Conference 2007 Convention legislative proposal
to cap Division III membership; and an alternative proposal from the governance
structure to admit annually a maximum of four fully prepared institutions
(provisional or reclassifying) and hold all active Division III members more accountable
to demonstrate their commitment to Division III through series of membership
and legislative requirements. The group
discussed the issue of growth related to the impact of National Office programs
and services, access to National Championships, philosophical differences due
to diversity and size, impact on certain parts of the country and impact on
Division III governance. The group
noted that membership growth is truly an Association-wide
issue and emphasized the importance of the working group to pursue long-term, creative
solutions. The topic will also be
discussed at the 2007 NCAA Convention during the Sunday Issues Forum on January
7.
2007 NCAA
Convention. The Chancellor/Presidents Advisory Group
reviewed the Convention meeting schedule and discussion topics for
chancellors/presidents, noting the goals of efficiency and engagement.
Saturday
January 6 -
·
Division III
Sunday
January 7
Issues Forum -
·
NCAA and Campus
Partnership - Integration in Division III:
What Does It Mean; How Do We Achieve It; Are We Creation an Overall
Positive Environment.
·
NCAA Executive
Committee Working Group to Study Membership Issues - Update.
·
Ethical Athletics
Administration.
·
2007 Legislative
Proposals - Case Scenarios and Pros and Cons.
Chancellors/Presidents Luncheon and Issues Forum -
·
NCAA SCORE Study
Update. (Student-Athlete Longitudinal Study)
·
Division III
Strategic Initiatives Grant Program - Engagement of all constituents - Role of
Chancellors/Presidents.
·
Legislative
Review.
Monday,
January 8 - Division III Business
Session -
·
Financial Aid
Reporting Process – Results and possible changes. Commitment to core tenet.
·
Creating an
Effective Athletics Leadership Team – legislative and legal issues of
SWA.
·
DIII
Student-Athlete Well-Being – ways to address substance abuse through
year-round drug education and testing program.
·
Nominating
Committee update.
·
Voting.
Other business.
·
The next meeting
of the Chancellor/Presidents Advisory Group will be
·
The group
requested the compilation of an Executive Summary following each meeting to
share with colleagues.