National Collegiate Athletic Association
NCAA News Archive - 2000
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Division II governance
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The NCAA News
"It's very important for Division II to have a Convention. It gives the membership the opportunity to let the Management Council and Presidents Council know its views. It gives the membership a chance to vote on issues that are important to Division II. It gives the Presidents Council an opportunity in a forum to explain decisions that have been made. And when you have a Convention that allows for formal and informal discussions, you're likely to find ways of doing the business better."
Arend D. Lubbers, president
Grand Valley State University
"I'm very proud of where the Association is today. Our constituents should not misunderstand a lack of a lot of presidential rhetoric as a pulling away from the governance of the Association. We wanted restructuring for specific reasons. As a result, most of us are feeling pretty good."
Anthony F. Ceddia, president
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
"It will be very interesting about where the membership review project team goes. The future of Division II lies heavily in that discussion. We should not be restrictive in any way, but our numbers could increase substantially over the next 10 years. We could double, and if we double, we may need to be federated within Division II. Our division will be affected more than any other, especially if the demise of the NAIA comes. If that happens, there will be a tremendous influx of other schools. And that probably will happen even if the NAIA doesn't fail."
Clint Bryant, chair
Division II Management Council
"I think that it is important for us to maintain our links among divisions, to have a strong umbrella for the Association. We all have the same common purposes -- quality intercollegiate athletics within the framework of higher education. That's the goal of Divisions I, II and III. We need to acknowledge that with the celebratory part of the Convention. We need to maintain that."
Doug Echols, commissioner
South Atlantic Conference
"There is something to be said for the big, old-fashioned NCAA with the big session all in one room. But for all three divisions, it was pretty unwieldy. We got beyond that. One thing we got to do back then was see old friends, and that went away. But the new way is better for the Association."
Jerry Hughes, director of athletics
Central Missouri State University
"We don't seem to< be the total family that we were in the old structure, but the new structure allows more harmony within the subgroups."
Ralph W. McFillen, commissioner
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
Discussing student-athlete involvement in Division II through an annual student-athlete/Management Council summit:
"The students feel that they have at least some opportunity to influence the outcome when more than just one person is involved. This is collegiality at its very best. I know there are some who say you don't need collegiality when you're dealing with students, but I don't buy that."
Patricia P. Cormier, chair-elect
Division II Presidents Council