NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland – Achieving high levels of academic and athletics success were central themes of the Leadership Council’s discussion of Division I membership principles, and the members will continue to discuss those principles – and to whom they should apply – in upcoming meetings.

The Council agreed that student-athletes shouldn’t have to sacrifice success in one area to satisfy another.

“You can have success in both,” said Council Chair Damon Evans, athletics director at Georgia. “We truly believe we can compete at the highest level and have academic success at the highest level as well.”

Other standards, including weighted voting and the importance of conference affiliation, were discussed and are expected to be more thoroughly vetted in the future.

The Council will discuss the need to identify a base set of assumptions and principles that should apply to Division I members. Once that occurs, the harder work of determining the actual conditions for membership that should apply to current and aspiring Division I members can begin.

The group will continue to communicate ideas to the NCAA staff in advance of its next meeting, tentatively set for April.

The group is also charged with devising a way to enhance the level of diversity in the Division I governance structure, and members identified four key position statements to be developed in the future:

•         The governance structure should be used to help develop new leaders.

•         Diversity is a pipeline issue and efforts must focus on attracting a diverse base of people to the profession, hiring a diverse pool and retaining people in the field.

•         Mentoring and professional development opportunities are important.

•         The continued collection of data and best practices is crucial.

The Council identified specific data to examine, including a study of perceived barriers to success in athletics for women and any comparable information for ethnic minorities. Members will also work to identify additional information to inform the four themes already identified.

The Council heard from the chairs of all five cabinets in the reorganized governance structure about each group’s priorities, including a comprehensive review of the financial aid model by the Student-Athlete Awards, Benefits and Financial Aid Cabinet and a study of early recruitment by the Recruiting and Athletics Personnel Cabinet.