National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

January 26, 1998

New air-travel policy takes effect February 1

  • Committees to fly coach up to 1,200 miles

    The NCAA Executive Committee has approved a new policy, effective February 1, that will permit committee members in all divisions to fly first class if the direct route between the site of origin and the destination is more than 1,200 miles.

    The Executive Committee also approved eliminating the $100 stipend currently paid to committee members while increasing the per diem allowance from $40 to $75 to better cover out-of-pocket expenses.

    At its October 29 meeting, the Executive Committee had recommended that all three divisions eliminate first-class travel entirely because it would save an estimated $600,000 annually for the Association. The Association's current policy permits committee members to fly first class if the direct distance between the site of origin and the destination is more than 600 miles.

    At their January meetings, the Management Councils and presidential groups of Divisions I, II and III considered the recommendation to eliminate first-class travel. While there was general agreement on the financial benefits of the proposal, a consensus emerged that volunteer committee members traveling long distances should be able to use first-class travel.

    The Division I Management Council almost unanimously approved a recommendation that committee travel should be coach unless the equivalent mileage of a trip exceeded three hours. Other governance bodies eventually reached similar conclusions.

    Moratorium lifted

    The Executive Committee, which met January 13 in Atlanta, also voted to end the moratorium on new NCAA members, effective August 1, 1998. The policy was established at the beginning of the Association's restructuring process with the understanding that it would be lifted when restructuring was complete. In a related matter, the Executive Committee asked each division to determine if its dues structure is appropriate.

    The Executive Committee also set up a framework for further discussions about the future of the NCAA Foundation. The Executive Committee is interested in:

  • Tightening the relationship between the Foundation and the NCAA.

  • Creating a public relations plan for the Foundation to educate member institutions and conferences about its potential benefits and the student-athlete programs it currently underwrites.

  • Defining more clearly what the NCAA expects from the Foundation.

  • Evaluating the role of the Foundation's Board of Directors.

  • Providing more direction from the Executive Committee to the Foundation.

    More discussion about the Foundation is expected in April.

    In other business, the Executive Committee reviewed pending litigation involving the Association, received and approved the final financial reports for the 1996-97 fiscal year, and ratified a $7 million supplemental distribution to Division I. That distribution will be made equally through the division's basketball and broad-based funds.