It was just like old times -- almost.

The 2004 Convention generated some of the liveliest debate in business sessions since 1997's restructuring changed the NCAA's legislative processes.

That certainly was no surprise in Division III, where 764 delegates (including more than 100 institutional chief executive officers) settled some long-standing controversies with voting on the Future of Division III agenda. Division II had fewer hot-button topics, but a proposal requiring student-athletes to pass a minimum number of course hours and a resolution to address championship-eligibility issues nonetheless prompted considerable discussion.

And even Division I, which has moved away in recent years from using the Convention as a legislative forum, recaptured a bit of excitement with its inaugural legislative review session, where more than 300 members debated proposals currently under consideration in the division's new annual legislative cycle.

Now, with this Convention in the history books, Division I awaits the outcome of formal comment on proposals from the membership and action this spring by its Management Council and Board of Directors, and Divisions II and III are beginning the substantial work of implementing their new legislation while jump-starting new discussion of continuing issues.

Division II not only will address the championships-eligibility issue but also could tackle the potentially divisive issue of financial aid limits. Division III, meanwhile, will embark on efforts to address questions posed by 2004 Convention Proposal No. 66, which directs consideration of issues relating to membership growth and diversity.

Division III also must take the wide-ranging legislation it adopted in Nashville and begin applying it sport by sport and case by case in the areas of playing and practice seasons, financial aid and eligibility.

That effort formally will begin with a February 5-6 meeting of the Division III Interpretations and Legislation Committee, which will review proposals that were adopted at the Convention and address an understandably long list of questions that member institutions have submitted to the national office regarding the effects of that legislation on such activities as scheduling of practices and contests, among other issues.

The Division III governance staff, in cooperation with the NCAA membership services staff, is planning to distribute a document addressing those questions in mid-February. The document is expected to cover issues that have been raised since the Convention's adjournment in a question-and-answer format.

Strategic planning

The Convention may have generated an extensive agenda for the next few months, but it also helped the Association close the book on the first phase of the strategic-planning process.

The membership heard about the plan in two Convention forums. The first was a January 11 session between NCAA President Myles Brand and institutional chief executive officers. The second was later that day during the opening business session, when Executive Committee Chair Carol Cartwright of Kent State University presented the plan to the overall membership.

In the first session, the presidents generally supported the plan and recommended only slight changes.

"These are important goals," said one president. "They probably aren't the only goals you have, but they are important ones."

The presidents were particularly tuned in to concepts involving finances and image.

Regarding finances, the discussion focused on how athletics should be funded rather than traditional concerns about escalating expenses.

"In the future, the issues on the table will be financial issues, and I'm not talking about salaries and facilities," Brand said. "Instead, the question will be what is the role of intercollegiate athletics in our colleges and universities? What are the controls? Do you make changes when fans are angry or when they are educationally justified?"

Concerning image, another president said, "As you deal with perception, you should stress the objective of the Association -- that we are focusing on the student-athlete. The public thinks of the NCAA as a professional sports organization. We are in the entertainment business, but that is not our primary goal. There is a divided perception about the business we are in." Another president lauded the use of the word "avocation" in a core value that describes how students should regard intercollegiate athletics.

In the end, only modest changes were made to the draft of the plan that was distributed to Convention delegates. Those revisions are included in the accompanying core purpose, core values, envisioned future and three- to five-year goals that appear on page 13. The Executive Committee is expected to approve the document in April.

In addition, the Executive Committee will be asked to approve a set of strategies for each objective, along with ways to measure success. Those also will be considered in April.

Hello, Texas

Looking further down the road, planning already is well under way for the 2005 Convention in Dallas.

Any review of significant Conventions during recent Association history will reveal that Nashville gatherings rank among the most historically notable. If the facility that hosted those events -- the Gaylord Opryland -- has anything to do with it, then delegates may want to begin preparing now for a series of important meetings, because four of the next five Conventions will be staged in properties owned by Gaylord Hotels.

The 2005 Convention is slated for the new Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center on Lake Grapevine, located northwest of Dallas. The hotel, which features many of the same amenities as the Opryland but with a distinctly Texan touch, will open in April with more than 1,500 guest rooms, 400,000 square feet of meeting space and more than four acres of the hotelier's trademark atriums -- and the NCAA will have all of that space to itself during the January 7-10 Convention.

The Association has entered a long-term arrangement with Gaylord Hotels that also will feature Conventions in 2007 at the Gaylord Palms near Orlando, Florida, and in 2008 at a Gaylord property yet to be determined.

The 2006 Convention -- celebrating the Association's centennial -- will be in Indianapolis.

"We entered an agreement with Gaylord for the 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008 Conventions, and by doing so, it allowed us to make a pretty fair deal on behalf of the Association," said John Johnson, NCAA director of promotions and events. A primary benefit of the agreement is that Gaylord already has guaranteed room rates for each of those Conventions, which will allow the Association to establish budgets for those events more efficiently while ensuring favorable treatment for the membership over a period of years.

Cost savings from that approach also will permit the Association to arrange other amenities desired by delegates, such as transportation between the hotel and airport (the Gaylord Texan is about six minutes away from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport), activities for spouses, access to area attractions (the Grapevine facility is about 20 minutes away from both Dallas and Fort Worth), or Internet terminals to check e-mail.

The ideal size of the Gaylord properties in Grapevine and Orlando also will assist in continuing efforts to transform the Convention into a can't-miss event for the entire membership, Johnson said. It allows for most meetings and sleeping rooms to be under one roof, although satellite hotels and meeting space will be needed on peak days.

The primary business of the Convention is debate and voting. But Johnson and the NCAA Convention planning team have been striving in recent years to make the gathering more of a signature event for the membership -- important to participants in much the same way that an event like the Final Four is important to the competing schools and basketball fans.

Thus, efforts continue to make activities such as the opening business session, Honors Dinner and educational programs more attractive, while ensuring that the host facility is as inviting, easy to use and accommodating of delegates' needs as possible.

"If we can make it easier to get to the Convention, and there are activities for spouses, and it becomes a place to promote working in intercollegiate athletics through activities like a job fair, and you know well in advance who the featured speakers will be, and you see there are compelling sessions for those who are not delegates to business sessions --then perhaps it's a good use of time to attend," Johnson said. "Perhaps delegates may choose to come a day early, to be part of the event."

Delegates currently have an opportunity to help shape that event, by responding to an online survey soliciting feedback about the 2004 Convention and suggestions for the future. The survey can be accessed at www.shortstravel.com/ncaa/survey/dsp_conventionMemberSurvey.cfm?personID=PUB
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