National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News Features

December 9, 1996

III championships to be discussed at Convention

A three-part presentation of the proposed models to revamp the Division III championships structure is planned during Presidential Agenda Day at the 1997 NCAA Convention by the Division III Task Force to Review the NCAA Membership Structure.

At a meeting November 24 and 25 in Dallas, the task force reviewed the three models. One model (the enhancement model) would retain the current Division III championships structure, with bracket enhancements in seven of the eight team sports in which sports sponsorship exceeds 200 institutions (baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, softball and women's volleyball). The second model (the subdivision model) would subdivide the division in those seven sports plus football. The third model (the subgrouping model) would group similar institutions during the preliminary rounds of championships play in those eight sports.

The bracket-enhancement model already has been approved by the Division III subcommittee of the NCAA Presidents Commission, effective for the 1997-98 academic year. The implementation of either the subdivision or subgrouping models would occur in addition to the enhancement model.

The models were developed at the request of the Commission's Division III subcommittee in an attempt to increase championships opportunities for the growing Division III membership and to ensure that similar institutions compete against each other in championships play.

Information on the specifics of the three models has been mailed to all Division III members for their review before the Convention.

The task force agreed to present the models during the Division III business session on Monday morning, January 13. Following lunch, three break-out sessions will take place. Each break-out session will include a task force representative knowledgeable regarding each of the three models. The task force also plans to distribute note cards so that any questions that remain after the morning discussion session can be addressed during the afternoon break-out sessions.

Following the discussion sessions, the delegates will reassemble and the business session will culminate with straw votes on the models. The results of the straw votes will be used to identify whether the subdivision or subgrouping model will be the focus of further discussion by the membership during 1997, in anticipation of a formal vote by the membership to resolve the championships issue at the 1998 Convention.

Division III members are encouraged to review the information mailed to them and to e-mail any questions to Daniel T. Dutcher, Division III chief of staff (ddutcher@ncaa.org), or Marybeth Ruskamp, Division III assistant chief of staff (mruskamp@ncaa.org), in advance of the Convention.

In other action, the task force:

  • Agreed tentatively to conduct its last meeting after the completion of the Division III business sessions, based on its belief that the task force has fulfilled its essential charge and that existing and new Division III governance structures will be able to resolve any necessary business during the completion of the transition to the Association's new governance structure.

  • Recommended that noncontroversial legislation be adopted to change the geographical requirement for the new Division III Championships Committee from two representatives per district to two representatives per NCAA Council region to allow more latitude in selecting the committee members. Some districts have so few Division III members that it is difficult to find representatives who fit the other diversity requirements.

  • Noted that the restructuring legislation (Proposal No. 27) would be revised editorially to provide a vice-chair of the Division III Management Council. The vice-chair position was inadvertently omitted from the original legislation.

  • Discussed preliminary plans for a February orientation for new members of the Presidents Commission, Management Council and other key committees.

  • Noted that information regarding governance and membership issues to be considered at the 1997 Convention will be mailed to all Division III members before the Convention, as a companion piece to the previous championships mailing.