The newly formed Leadership Council will begin examining Division I membership requirements when the group convenes for the first time this summer.

In August 2007, the Board of Directors established a moratorium on new members beginning the process of joining Division I. The suspension later was extended to include movement within the Division I subdivisions as well.

That moratorium lasts until August 2011, by which the division is expected to review membership standards for institutions and conferences. Board members believe that with the sunset of the Division III Working Group on Membership Issues and the reorganization of the Division I governance structure, the time is right to begin the study of membership standards in Division I.

The Leadership Council, which will hold its first meeting in conjunction with the Board’s August meeting, will be charged with developing the model of a Division I member. The Council, chaired by Georgia Athletics Director Damon Evans, will be assisted in the effort by several consultants, including Greg Sankey, Southeastern Conference associate commissioner and longtime member of the Management Council’s membership subcommittee.

Interest in moving from Division II to Division I or from outside the Association into Division I has grown steadily, and the Leadership Council review of membership standards will consider the impact of that kind of movement on the Association as a whole.

This is the second moratorium on new members in the division since 2000. The earlier moratorium resulted in criteria that more clearly distinguished football-playing institutions and a more detailed educational-assessment process. Those changes did not slow the movement into Division I, though, and the influx will continue to affect access to championships.

Among the charges of the Leadership Council will be examining the philosophical expectations and legislative requirements that should be applied to all institutions wanting to join Division I.

The Leadership Council is expected to conclude its assessment within a year, which will allow time for any legislative changes to be introduced into a regular legislative cycle and be adopted before the moratorium expires in 2011.