The NCAA News - News and Features

July 7, 1997

Division III Budget Committee plans full funding for indoor, outdoor track

Full funding of both indoor and outdoor track championships and enhancement of the lacrosse championships will be provided if recommendations from the Division III Budget Committee are approved.

At its meeting June 23, the budget committee recommended that $225,000 be allocated to provide full funding for the Division III men's and women's indoor and outdoor track championships. The additional funding would be for the 1997-98 championships year.

The recommendations now go to the Division III Management Council and then the Division III Presidents Council for final approval.

In the past, funding was available for only one of the track championships, and institutions had to choose whether to receive funds to participate in the indoor championships or the outdoor championships. Institutions could participate in both championships but would not receive funding for participation in both.

The Division III subcommittee of the NCAA Presidents Commission has identified the full funding of championships as an operating guideline under the new structure.

An additional $64,000 was recommended for expanding the brackets for the men's and women's lacrosse championships, consistent with the 1:8-to-1:12 access-to-sponsorship ratios previously approved by the Commission's Division III subcommittee. The bracket enhancements would be for the 1997-98 championships year.

Both the track and lacrosse enhancements previously were endorsed by the Division III Championships Committee and Management Council.

Those enhancements are recommended in addition to the $747,000 in enhancements already approved by the Division III subcommittee of the NCAA Presidents Council. Those enhancements relate to expanded brackets for baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, women's softball, and women's volleyball during 1997-98.

An allocation of 10 percent of the Division III operating budget to a reserve fund ($809,000) also previously was approved by the subcommittee.

The budget committee said a Division III strategic plan needs to be developed by the Presidents Council and Management Council to provide guidance to the budget committee for the remaining unallocated funds.

With the budget committee's latest funding recommendations, which total $290,935, and the already approved expenditures for championships enhancements and the reserve fund (a total of $1,556,000), the division has $668,000 still unallocated for 1997-98.