The NCAA News - News & Features

Division II project team working on governance issues

The recently selected 24-member transition team is expected to meet either June 18 or 19 and will receive the project team's recommendations at that time. The transition team in turn will make recommendations to the Division II Presidents Council Transition Team regarding proposed legislation for the 1997 NCAA Convention.

The Presidents Council Transition Team will meet June 25 in conjunction with the NCAA Presidents Commission's June 25-26 meeting.

The governance project team was formed in April to discuss a variety of issues, including the Division II committee structure, details of committee composition (such as length of terms; representation by position, district or region; and Management Council representation on committees), a nomination and selection process, coaches' and student-athletes' participation in Division II governance, and identification of a body or bodies to act between meetings of the Management and Presidents Councils.

Since its creation, the project team has conducted two telephone conferences and will meet June 4-5 in Kansas City, Missouri.

The formation of recommendations regarding the governance structure is the most pressing transition matter facing Division II at the moment, because of the impending deadline for proposed legislation for the 1997 Convention.

But other matters also are receiving attention:

* Organization of the Management Council Transition Team. The transition team -- which includes members of the Division II Steering Committee, athletics administrators and faculty athletics representatives from the Division II Task Force to Study the NCAA Membership Structure, and 10 members nominated by member conferences -- recently conducted a telephone conference for organizational purposes.

Also, transition team members who have not recently served on the NCAA Council visited the NCAA national office May 15 for an orientation session designed to familiarize the members with the Division II structure and issues.

* Study of Division II financial aid issues. Another project team is beginning work in response to 1996 Convention Proposal No. 29, a resolution that charged Division II with examining alternative financial aid models.

The project team will hold an organizational telephone conference May 28.

It is anticipated that Division II members of the NCAA Committee on Financial Aid and Amateurism will join the project team. The team also plans to ensure that regional perspectives on financial aid matters are fully represented in its work.

The 1996 Convention resolution calls for a progress report at the 1997 Convention and possible proposed legislation at the 1998 Convention.

* A survey of chief executive officers. Responses were due May 24 to a survey designed to provide data to the Division II transition teams in the areas of governance, membership requirements, championships structure, finances, financial aid, academic requirements and membership compliance.

The survey was mailed May 1 to chief executive officers at Division II institutions, with copies to athletics directors, senior woman administrators and faculty athletics representatives.

A portion of the survey solicited chief executive officers' reactions to possible Division II financial aid models.