The NCAA News - News and Features

January 12, 1998

NCAA CONVENTION -- New and improved? NCAA goes down a fresh path at its 92nd Convention

The 92nd annual NCAA Convention, to be conducted January 10-13 in Atlanta, may provide the clearest view yet of how restructuring has affected the Association's legislative process.

The term "general business session" has been eliminated from the NCAA lexicon. Representatives from all member institutions and conferences will not assemble in one room for the purpose of voting on legislation, as they have for the previous 91 Conventions.

Division I will do business through its Management Council and Board of Directors representatives, who will meet January 9-10 and January 13, respectively.

Otherwise, the Division I program will consist of a speech from Donna E. Shalala, U.S. secretary of health and human services, and a series of forums and workshops on issues of interest to members of the division.

Divisions II and III members will vote, but the legislative agenda in both cases is tiny compared to the past. Division II has 19 proposals to address while Division III has only seven.

In both divisions, delegates will conduct important discussions on relevant topics (see related stories, page 1). Division II representatives will provide guidance for various committees and the Division II Management Council and Presidents Council on issues such as enhancement-fund distribution, while Division III delegates will devote considerable time to talking about championships automatic qualification and financial aid.

The change in format will affect Convention attendance. For the first time since the 1991 Convention, the number of delegates will decrease. The attendance decline could be as large as 20 percent.

Former Sen. Robert J. Dole will receive the Theodore Roosevelt Award and a host of other current and former student-athletes will be recognized with the Silver Anniversary and Today's Top VIII Awards and the Award of Valor.

This is the first time in 20 years the NCAA has conducted its Convention in Atlanta. Veterans may recall that delegates weathered a major ice storm that paralyzed the city and played havoc with air transportation. A landmark piece of legislation emerged from that Convention when delegates voted to establish football subdivisions in Division I that were identified as Divisions I-A and I-AA.