The Division II membership soon will have another important tool at its disposal when the Division II Athletics Directors Association releases its “Models for Success for a Division II Athletics Program.”

The document and accompanying compact disc offer guidelines for a diverse membership to evaluate already established programs or build more competitive ones by following a roadmap that aligns with the Division II strategic-positioning platform and the division’s new three-year strategic plan.

“It meets a number of needs,” said DII ADA President Ed Matejkovic, athletics director at West Chester. “One, it serves as a guide, almost as a certification of how your program aligns with Division II principles. It also maps out, if you want to be competitive at the Division II level, here’s what you need to do to get there.”

Matejkovic also noted the model’s compliance element and an emphasis on a broad-based program that is integrated with the rest of the campus through the president, the FAR, the staff and the SAAC. “It’s a multi-focused document that gives people a plan for a well-rounded athletics program,” he said.

Already approved by the Management and Presidents Councils, the model athletics department package should be available to the membership later this winter or early this spring via the NCAA Web site and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics site.

The effort from the ADs joins similar contributions to the Division II strategy from other constituent groups. The Division II Conference Commissioners Association recently completed a model conference office package and is putting the finishing touches on a revised conference grant program that aligns with Division II’s newly approved 2009-12 strategic plan. The Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee recently assembled a model life skills package as well, and the annual Division II Faculty Athletics Representative Institute gives FARs a chance to better align their operations with Division II initiatives.

Now the ADs are adding to the list with an effort that has been in the concept stage for several years but recently retooled to reflect Division II’s new strategic initiatives. The model also keys off the Division II Institutional Self-Study Guide.

“With the passage of the new strategic plan, we went back and made sure each of the tenets of the model meets the intent of the plan and platform,” Matejkovic said, noting that each relates to at least two of Division II’s six attributes identified in the strategic-positioning platform. “One of the last adjustments we made in fact was to reflect the game-environment effort. That’s a personal priority for me as Division II ADA president – to bring game environment to the forefront and be more active in pursuing improvements in that arena.”

The model athletics department document contains 21 guiding principles, from presidential oversight, sports sponsorship and proper staffing to fund-raising and campus relationships. There are principles concerning the coach’s role, the need for certified athletic trainers and a diverse athletics staff. Marketing, planning and community engagement also are covered. Matejkovic said the CD will provide more detailed examples of what each principle is trying to achieve.

Few athletics directors will be caught off guard by the model since it has been vetted in various forums over the past several years, including presentations at the 2008 NCAA and NACDA conventions. Matejkovic said the feedback to date has been positive, with most ADs appreciating the additional resource.

“The intent is to help institutions move their athletics programs to where we feel they would be competitive,” he said. “If you already have a good program, this document will serve as a measuring stick – are we doing all of these things and if not, why not? And if you need to build a better program, the package will assist there as well.”

Division II Vice President Mike Racy praised the plan both for its comprehensiveness and for its patience. While it has been in the works since 2002 under past DII ADA presidents Mac Cassell, Bill Fusco and Jon Carey, the athletics directors have updated the initiative to align with Division II’s ground-breaking strategic initiatives over the past three years in particular.

“One of the many indicators of Division II’s operational success recently is the extent to which various stakeholders contribute to the strategic-positioning platform,” Racy said. “The model athletics department document and CD is the athletics directors’ contribution that sets aside individual competitive gains for the advancement of the entire division.”

The model athletics department document will likely be referenced in a panel discussion during the upcoming NCAA Convention. In a Division II educational session January 16 titled “How We Work Together to Enhance the Student-Athlete Experience,” representatives from the DII ADA, the DII CCA and FARA will emphasize the integration of roles and positions within intercollegiate athletics to further enrich the student-athlete experience. 

“The presentation at the Convention is about how each organization (presidents, commissioners, ADs, FARs) gets in line with the strategic-positioning platform and what the impact is on student-athletes. The model athletics department will be part of that discussion,” Matejkovic said.

“We don’t see this as a static document, either. We’ll review this periodically to update as new Division II initiatives emerge.”