The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- March 1, 1999

Strategic Planning Cabinet reviews its role in new structure

The Division I Strategic Planning Cabinet responded to issues relating to the cabinet's function within the governance structure during its February 2-3 meeting in San Antonio.

The cabinet addressed recent issues raised by the Division I Management Council's Subcommittee to Review the Governance Structure, including a review of the role of the cabinet, and whether the cabinet should continue to exist or whether the functions the cabinet performs could be addressed as effectively by the Council or a committee that reports directly to the Council.

In a draft of its response, the cabinet advocated that it continue to exist but that its role be redefined to more accurately reflect the needs of the Association.

The cabinet believes that the functions it performs, particularly its oversight responsibilities for the six Association-wide committees that report to the cabinet, are a valuable and necessary asset to the structure.

The six Association-wide committees that report directly to the cabinet are the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee, the Committee on Women's Athletics, the National Youth Sports Program Committee, the Research Committee, the Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct, and the Olympic Sports Liaison Committee.

The cabinet also stressed its function as a review and planning resource that is able to provide input regarding several broad-based issues, and that other governing bodies may not have the time necessary to devote to a comprehensive review of such issues.

As part of its response, the cabinet will recommend that its title be changed and that its functions be reconfigured to more accurately reflect its review and planning function, as well as its oversight responsibilities in administering budget requests and legislative proposals from the six Association-wide committees.

The cabinet believes, however, that because of the changes that the national office staff will undergo over the next year, as well as the fact that the Management Council has not seen the first draft of the two-year planning document (which targets the retention of staff, administrators, faculty members and students engaged in the governance structure during this time of change), that the Council will wait until the national office transition is complete before deciding whether to delegate the cabinet's functions elsewhere.

The response will be reviewed further by the cabinet before being forwarded to the Management Council for consideration.

Council/Board actions

In other actions, the cabinet reviewed actions taken by the Management Council and the Board of Directors regarding cabinet issues. Those issues include the definition and role of the senior woman administrator; the addition of equestrian as a women's emerging sport; and proposed revisions to the Association's principle of nondiscrimination.

Also discussed was the Executive Committee's approval of an annual Association-wide sportsmanship award to be presented in conjunction with the Citizenship Through Sports Alliance. The cabinet noted that the Management Council and the Board of Directors included in their approval a recommendation that institutions include their campus student-athlete advisory committees in their selection process.

The cabinet also reviewed several budget requests from the six Association-wide committees that report to the cabinet. The requests were reviewed within the new Association-wide budget parameters approved by the Executive Committee in January.

The cabinet gave approval to all the requests with the stipulation that funds used to fill the request should be reallocated funds, if possible. Requests requiring new funds were prioritized by the cabinet and forwarded to the Management Council for consideration.

The cabinet expressed concern that it had been asked to approve initiatives without a full understanding of the relative merits of each proposal as they were compared to one another.

The cabinet asked the committees to forward relevant budget information that could shed some light on how the new proposals fit into each committee's overall plan.

Other highlights

Division I Strategic Planning Cabinet
February 2-3/San Antonio