NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The Division III membership's actions at the 2004 Convention provided long-sought answers on several matters, but one question clearly remained after adjournment: What's next?

That's essentially the question posed by adoption of Proposal No. 66, a resolution that directs the Division III Presidents and Management Councils to lead membership-wide consideration of issues relating to membership growth and diversity.

The two Councils spent time during their meetings at the Convention discussing how to take those next steps, and while both groups agreed they don't know yet what those steps will be, they agreed on how to address the question.

The coming year likely will be devoted to gathering information through increased research, as well as continuation of a process initiated during the past two years in which members of the Councils attended and participated in meetings of conferences and other groups and otherwise solicited input from the membership.

The Presidents Council also agreed to use much the same approach that was utilized in assembling the Future of Division III agenda, including maintaining a joint subcommittee of Presidents and Management Council members to oversee the process. However, the presidents also anticipate relying on existing committees in Division III to gather much of the information and provide recommendation for future steps, rather than forming separate subgroups and task forces as they did during the recently completed phase of deliberations.

Much of the focus will be on implementation of reforms adopted in Nashville, but with an eye focused on the broader issues raised in Proposal No. 66.

"What I hope happens is that we take this quite remarkably successful effort at self-governance and say, to a large degree, we've put the structural and regulatory pieces in place, and now it's time to turn to the next phase, which really isn't more legislation about this limit or that rule, but rather a much more difficult question of engaging the culture of athletics on our campuses," said John McCardell, chair of the Presidents Council.

"My guess is that our attention is going to turn over the next several years away from the structural or regulatory aspects of athletics affairs to the more cultural -- to data-gathering, and perhaps less precise but at any rate more fundamental aspects of athletics on our campuses."

"It'll be done through conversation and consensus, so it's not yet defined so specifically as I hope it can be defined, but my preference and hope -- and I think it's consistent with the voting and the conversation (in Nashville) -- is to work on what I call qualitative issues," said Phillip Stone, president of Bridgewater College (Virginia) and vice-chair of the Council, who was selected during the Convention to become chair later this year following McCardell's announced retirement as president at Middlebury College.

"These would be issues relating to, what do we mean by student welfare -- can we focus more on what it means? What are the values and characteristics, so we make sure we are pursuing those?"

That approach likely would include obtaining a broader understanding of student-athletes' place within -- and participation in -- campus life. And Stone believes it means prodding not just athletics administrators, coaches and student-athletes to ensure that athletics remain an integral part of the institution, but also challenging constituencies elsewhere on campus that may not fully value the role of athletics in higher education.

"Yes, we want to say there are limits we've put on athletics participation, like practice and playing seasons and redshirting -- we've done that that, we've disciplined ourselves," he said. "But we also have a responsibility to go back to our campuses and our general communities and say, on the other hand, all of you must accept the legitimate role of athletics on our campuses and the value athletics has in the development of our students, and to say, faculty and administrators, you also need to do your part -- not to avoid or disdain athletics, not to make athletes feel like second-class citizens, but you need to come to some games, you need to pat athletes on the back, you need to encourage them."

Integration of athletics into campus life will rely as much on institutional support of athletics as upon an athletics department's efforts to ensure that student-athletes are students first.

"It's not fair to ask the students and the coaches and the presidents to just continue to discipline and restrict and limit; there's a place where we have to say that some (faculty and administrators) need to become more engaged, more welcoming."

Proposal No. 66 also provides a vehicle for addressing other Division III concerns, including enhancement of greater institutional and conference autonomy. And Presidents and Management Council leaders left Nashville believing that whatever those concerns may be, they also can be addressed and dealt with in the same decisive manner displayed by the membership in its handling of the Future of Division III agenda.

They also departed confident that the diverse membership of Division III will continue to work together to deal with those concerns, rather than splinter into subdivisions as some have feared in recent years.

"I don't see anything in the votes taken today that threaten to drive a wedge into the division, or make it more rather than less likely that there will be some kind of succession movement -- I just don't see the basis for it," McCardell said after adjournment of the Convention.

"That wasn't the tone of the discussion, there was never anything threatening about it from either side, 'If we don't get our way, we're going to walk' -- there was none of that. I don't think there's much reason to think that subdivision or secession is a likely result of this."

"I think this package ensures that we will stay together," said Susan Bassett, director of athletics at William Smith College, who concluded her term as chair of the Management Council at the Convention. "It creates a framework that provides the kind of construct that schools that might want more restriction can live with, and yet those who are anxious for more playing and practice opportunities can be comfortable, too, because they are relatively modest cuts.

"I think Division III is solid now, and we're at a crossroads where there will be implementation and living with all of this, as well as instituting the Association-wide strategic plan into our own governance, and a focus on student-athletes and the culture of athletics."