The Division II Strategic Alliance Matching Grant Program is something of an ugly-duckling tale.

It is program that was born out of an unfortunate reason -- Division II's deficiency of minority athletics administrators. When hatched in 1999, the program was anything but beautiful. It was little-known, and there was nothing in the other divisions with which to compare it. It was a pilot program struggling for recognition in a lake of NCAA program funding.

But just as the duckling transformed into a graceful swan, so also has the matching-grant program grown into a viable means of introducing minority and women administrators into intercollegiate athletics. It is now funded throughout the Division II long-range budget plan, and -- judging by reaction at the recent NCAA Convention -- is increasingly accepted as a means of diversifying athletics administration in Division II.

At the recent Convention, representatives from 67 Division II institutions and conferences attended a session focusing on what schools need to know about the program. By the time the February 15 deadline has passed, Kimberly Ford, NCAA professional development coordinator, believes that between 75 and 100 Division II institutions will have applied for grants. If so, that will represent an increase of up to 300 percent over the pilot program.

Personnel-strapped athletics directors who have participated believe in the program's overriding objective, but they also have been quick to recognize the pragmatic benefit.

"This is an opportunity to acquire an additional staff member," said Ron Prettyman, athletics director at California State University, Dominguez Hills. "Most Division II staffs are small. If everything goes perfectly, there's no problem. But if somebody gets sick, you're in trouble."

The program has its roots in the racial demographics study administered by the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee. The 1999 version of that report showed that Division II was the only one of the three NCAA membership divisions to regress in the percentage of minority administrators (athletics directors, associate and assistant athletics directors, senior woman administrators and academic advisors) from the previous reporting period. Although no division made a great leap forward, Division II leaders were concerned that their division was the only one going backward.

The Division II leadership quickly agreed that something had to be done. Ultimately, the Division II Project Team to Review Issues Related to Diversity recommended a matching-grant program in which an institution or conference could choose one of four avenues to enhance gender and ethnic diversity:

Full-time professional administrative positions in athletics administration.

Postgraduate scholarships.

Educational opportunities.

Training sessions and workshops.

The NCAA would pay 75 percent of the position, tuition or costs in the first year, 50 percent in the second and 25 percent in the third. The institution or conference would be responsible for all expenses thereafter and would be required to maintain the position for two years after grant funds are exhausted.

The Division II Presidents Council liked the idea and approved a $250,000 pilot program in 1999. Those who conceived the program gulped when no applications arrived in advance of the February 2000 deadline. But at the last minute, 24 applications were returned. A couple of months later, six institutions and one conference were chosen to receive the first grants.

Since then, the Presidents Council has approved the program on a permanent basis, increasing the funding to $500,000 annually.

Emporia State University Athletics Director Kent Weiser told the Convention workshop that the grant amounted to found money for his institution since his staff already was in the process of creating a new position.

"This gave us an opportunity to hire a very qualified person who was in the private sector," Weiser said. "The grant made the position more immediate for us."

Weiser used the funding to hire Carmen Nelon, who since has been promoted to assistant athletics director for internal operations and senior woman administrator. She currently serves as the South Central regional chair for the Division II Women's Basketball Committee.

As successful as the program has been, it has come with one unexpected outcome. White women currently occupy five of the seven positions underwritten by the grants, which is ironic given the origin of the program.

"At the time the institutions apply, they haven't identified the person who will be filling the position," said Rochelle Collins, NCAA director of professional development. "You're really awarding the institution and the institution does its recruitment process.

"So I think there would be an impetus from Division II when they provide the awards to the institutions to ask them to be sensitive to the fact that the program is for ethnic minorities and women."

Of the seven positions that were funded in the pilot program, two were filled with black men and one with a black woman. And at least one of the positions that currently is filled with a minority male is working as designed. Lamel D. Harris is on a five-year plan at Cal State Dominguez Hills to acquire a broad knowledge of administrative experience. As Harris has gained knowledge, he not only has become a more well-rounded administrator, he has become a greater asset to the program. Prettyman said Harris already could serve in a sports information capacity if the need arose, based on what he learned in his first year.

In this round of grants, Collins said she anticipates that most, if not all, of the funding again will go to fill administrative positions. "I imagine they're trying to focus on the senior woman administrator position," she said. "Minority and non-minority women would be equally qualified under our grant."

Regardless of how institutions use the fund, Weiser said that applicants shouldn't be bashful about asking for enough money.

"In preparing the budget for a new position," he said, "you should include everything. That includes equipment and inflationary allowances over the five-year commitment."

Ford said the selection committee will agree on that point. "Once the grants are awarded," she said, "there will be no coming back and changing the figures. There has to be some thought put into what they're going to need and how it's going to play out over the long run."

Because the grants involve so much money, the forms seek a wealth of information, especially with regard to budget. One panelist said the application process "is not gleeful." Moreover, for any application to be considered, it must be signed by the institution's athletics director, senior woman administrator and chief executive officer. Those signatures can be difficult to bring together at the last minute.

But while the up-front process may be taxing, the rewards for successful applicants are abundant.

"I encourage everybody to get involved with this," Prettyman said. "This has been nothing but a positive experience for us."

How the grants are being used

All of the Division II Strategic Alliance Matching Grants awarded in 2000 have gone to fund athletics administration positions:

University of South Carolina, Aiken. Angela Osbon, assistant to the athletics director for business and alumni affairs. Responsibilities: athletics business manager, senior woman administrator, alumni coordinator, student-athlete advisory committee advisor, cheerleader and dance team coach.

University of New Haven. Michael Chapman, assistant director of athletics for compliance and student development. Responsibilities: NCAA rules compliance, rules education for the athletics department staff, certifying all NCAA and university forms, improving the retention rate of student-athletes.

California Collegiate Athletic Association. Kristin Eden, coordinator of compliance and internal operations. Responsibilities: Oversee NCAA rules compliance and enforcement, including the Letter of Intent program; NCAA coaches certification administration; eligibility appeals; assist CCAA student-athlete and faculty athletics representative groups.

University of Nebraska at Kearney. Tricia Follett, assistant to the senior woman administrator. Responsibilities: Support SWA in the development and management of programs including the academic enhancement program, serving as SAAC advisor, assisting in media relations.

California State University, Dominguez Hills. Lamel D. Harris, assistant to the athletics director. Responsibilities: Supervise all athletics facilities, including renting and leasing of facilities, supervising all athletics vehicles and team usage, coordination of special projects, YES clinics, assist athletics business manager.

Humboldt State University. Rebecka McKinney, assistant sports information director. Responsibilities: Media relations for Humboldt State's 12 varsity sports, including being the primary contact for volleyball, women's basketball and softball. Write weekly releases, set up interviews, game-day statistics, radio management, develop media guides, keep records.

Emporia State University. Carmen Nelon, assistant athletics director for internal operations/senior woman administrator. Responsibilities: Represent Emporia State at conference and national levels; serve as compliance director with responsibility for eligibility, financial aid and rules administration; student-athlete development, including coordination of the CHAMPS/Life Skills program; team four to six hours of student-athlete orientation classes; game management; management of athletic training; campus SAAC advisor.

Program facts

Amount of annual funding: $500,000.

Application deadline: February 15.

Anticipated selection date: Spring.

Number of grant recipients: May vary from year to year. In the pilot program, $241,990 in grants was divided among six institutions and one conference.

2002 selection committee: Debbie Chin, director of athletics, University of New Haven; Lori Hendricks, former NCAA staff member and doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan; Stanley D. Johnson, executive director, Minorities Opportunities Athletic Association; Gladys S. Johnston, chancellor, University of Nebraska at Kearney; Ron Prettyman, director of athletics, California State University, Dominguez Hills; and Marge Trout, former senior woman administrator, Millersville University of Pennsylvia.

Staff contact: Kimberly Ford, NCAA professional development coordinator.