ANAHEIM, California -- Division II leaders had ample opportunity to become acquainted with new NCAA President Myles Brand during the Association's annual Convention.

Brand took time to meet with the Division II Management Council January 10 and with the Division II Presidents Council and Divisions II and III chief executive officers January 12.

In all of those sessions, Brand emphasized his twin guideposts of reform and advocacy that were the central themes of his State of the Association speech. However, he also offered several observations that pertained specifically to Division II.

In particular, Brand consistently complimented Division II for its development and execution of a strategic plan and for reform actions relating to academics and amateurism. "Division II seems to have its act together," Brand told the Management Council.

When he spoke to all delegates at the Division II business session January 13, he said, "One of the things I'm learning more and more each day is the strength of Division II....I understand better each day why you take such pride in the division."

Despite its successes, Brand acknowledged that the division is challenged with finding an identity. However, he said the problem may be more of an educational identity issue than an athletics one. He told the Management and Presidents Councils that he believed that the public and higher education struggle with how to place institutions that are not regarded as small New England liberal arts colleges, research institutions or urban universities. "But most institutions don't fit into any one of those three categories," he said, "and there's nothing wrong with that."

He said he believes that too many institutions _-- perhaps seeking to appear to fit one of those categories -- act counter to their missions by seeking Division I membership. He also said that institutions that do remain in Division II should resist the temptation to emulate Division I-A. "Their problems are often absent in Division II," he told the Presidents Council.

While Brand praised Division II for effective use of a strategic plan, he also said that the division will be called upon within the next year to makes its plan part of a new Association-wide road map.

"We must have a strategy," he said, "a benchmark to account for how we are succeeding. Division II is doing well, but it will need to integrate into the larger plan."

Brand also discussed the future of the Convention during the Presidents Council meeting and again during the joint session of Division II and III presidents. At the Presidents Council meeting, he said that although the Association's Convention is and will remain a working event, it could have more appeal for college and university CEOs if an annual theme were developed. As an example, he said that Title IX would have been especially topical this year. The presidents generally endorsed the concept.

In the joint session, an institutional president observed that the three membership divisions have grown further apart since the Association federated in 1997. Brand said that while the concern might be merited, he has no doubts about the benefits of federation.

"Federation is the right approach," he said. "Divisions II and III have prospered under a federated NCAA. But the pendulum may have swung too far to the point that we have separation rather than federation."

-- David Pickle