NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The NCAA Executive Committee approved a supplemental revenue distribution and agreed to explore the concept of an endowment plan among actions during the group's January 12 meeting at the NCAA Convention.

Decisions about revenue distribution were made as part of the Executive Committee's regular review of the NCAA budget. The Committee noted the Association realized a $23.5 million surplus in fiscal-year 2002-03 and agreed to distribute $16 million back to Division I institutions. Other allocations included $1.4 million to student-athlete programs as part of an ongoing effort to gradually transfer the budget obligations from the former NCAA Foundation to the NCAA, and $2.2 million to fund initiatives as identified in the strategic plan.

In another financial matter, Executive Committee members were enthusiastic about a suggestion from NCAA President Myles Brand to explore the idea of creating an endowment for student-athlete programming or for the ongoing support of the national office. The endowment would be separate from the NCAA reserve fund. Executive Committee members believe that such a long-term endowment, which would be accumulated through a specified percentage of future surplus revenues, also would help ensure that future revenue distributions would increase even if media contracts do not.

In other actions, the Executive Committee endorsed in principle the draft of the Association's strategic plan and authorized the national office staff to prepare a final version of the plan for the Committee's review in April. The staff also will draft strategic initiatives and measurable objectives for implementing the plan.

The plan incorporates more than a year of membership input and feedback and includes draft core purposes and values, and three-to-five-year outcome-oriented goals related to academics, the student-athlete experience, informed governance and decision-making, effective national office administration, and perceptions of the Association and intercollegiate athletics.

The Executive Committee also decided on a playing-rules matter in basketball. The issue came to the Executive Committee because the three divisions could not agree on a proposed playing rule that must be the same in all divisions. Specifically, Divisions I and II approved the men's and women's basketball rules committees' recommendation to extend the three-point line to the international distance for the 2004-05 season, but Division III did not support the recommendation.

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which provides guidance in such instances, recommended that the Executive Committee deny moving the three-point line. The panel based its recommendation on the fact that the original proposal was tied to also changing the free-throw lane to the international trapezoid measurements. Moving the three-point line was not intended to be a stand-alone change.

Executive Committee members supported the panel's recommendation, which allows the men's and women's rules committees to reconsider the court markings at their spring meetings. Any new proposals would be based on results from experimenting with the trapezoid lane and extended three-point line during selected games this season. The earliest any change could take place with this course of action would be for the 2005-06 season.

Finally, the Executive Committee approved a resolution regarding the Association's work to become less bureaucratic and more responsive to student-athlete needs. Committee members resolved to appoint a subcommittee composed of Executive Committee representatives from all three divisions to review issues pertaining to this goal and report back to the Executive Committee in April.