The Landmark Conference recently renewed its effort to encourage collaboration among presidents, athletics directors, head coaches and student-athletes, focusing this year on student-athlete well-being.

The second annual Collaboration/Integration Institute was funded primarily through the Division III Strategic Initiatives Grant Program. The program sought to involve varied constituent groups – including two student-athlete advisory committee members from each of the eight league schools –in planning programs to address strategic goals.

An opening session led by collegiate sports law authority Janet P. Judge focused on sportsmanship and ethical-conduct issues impacting student-athletes, including issues arising from their use of online social-networking sites.

The participants – also including presidents, athletics directors and four head coaches from each member school – jointly discussed the issues of awarding financial aid on the basis of athletics leadership; certification of head coaches in first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and use of an automated external defibrillator; student-athlete nutrition; Division III philosophy and marketing; and the lack of female head coaches.

In other sessions, coaches discussed the issues of out-of-season practice and recruiting technologies and student-athletes developed criteria to be applied in awarding a Landmark Conference Sportsmanship Award. Coaches and student-athletes also met together to discuss various other issues.

Following those meetings, each constituent group listed action items for the conference to pursue during the coming year.