Soon after I was elected to the Division II Presidents Council, I was selected to serve as the presidential liaison to the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). I looked upon this appointment as a great opportunity, and I have certainly not been disappointed.

After only a brief time with our student-athletes, it became apparent to me that they are interested and engaged in all elements of their college experience -- everything from the field of play to the classroom. But what makes them truly special in my mind is the awareness they have of their role in building stronger communities both on and off campus.

Those who follow college athletics are aware of the enormous amount of time and effort that student-athletes have contributed to community-service efforts across the nation. Most of them are model citizens. They routinely assist senior citizens, help youngsters develop their reading skills, assist with community clean-ups or, in northern climates, collect blankets for shelters -- all done while managing a full course load and while training for high-level athletics competition.

To this point, all student-athlete community service has been accomplished through local or (occasionally) regional efforts. That changed earlier this year when the Division II SAAC committed its resources to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America.

Most of us are familiar with Make-A-Wish. It is a national organization that defines itself as being dedicated "to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy."

What the Division II SAAC has seen -- and what we all hope those from other divisions will see -- is that student-athletes possess "hope, strength and joy" in almost unlimited quantities. Given their boundless energy, student-athletes are a perfect match for Make-A-Wish.

The details of this project will be announced later this fall, but the general idea is that Division II national SAAC representatives will carry back to their conferences a framework for fund-raising and student-athlete involvement with Make-A-Wish. Although limited fund-raising goals have been set, organizers believe that this approach can raise thousands of dollars for Make-A-Wish at the Division II level alone. The program will be structured so that student-athletes will work with local Make-A-Wish offices, which will receive 80 cents of every dollar raised (the remaining 20 cents will go to the national foundation).

Think of the immeasurable accomplishment that could result if student-athletes from all three divisions committed themselves to this project.

We should be clear that participation in this program is not mandated, nor is it funded in any way by the NCAA, although NCAA leadership may wish to consider additional support if this program is as successful as it appears it will be. It is not intended to take the place of whatever community-service projects a particular institution or conference may have in place, although this program may assist schools that are looking to develop community-service initiatives. What we have is a project that student-athletes have conceived solely for the purpose of helping those in need.

As chancellor of a Division II institution, I certainly encourage my Division II colleagues to be aware of this program and to participate if they believe it meets their institutional goals. I also encourage student-athletes and administrators from Divisions I and III to monitor this program as it evolves. If they have questions or if they have an interest in participating, they should contact Kim Ford, liaison to the Division II SAAC, at the national office.

This is a tremendous opportunity to help young people -- not only youngsters who are seriously ill but also our own student-athletes, who can benefit in many ways from success on a national level. We should remember this project was conceived and is being developed by student-athletes who are members of the Division II SAAC.

Let's make the most of this opportunity and commit to meeting the challenge.

Kathryn A. Martin is chancellor at the University of Minnesota Duluth and a member of the Division II Presidents Council.