NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland – A Division III Presidents Council officer perceived a “supportive” response from institutional presidents who attended a luncheon/forum Friday that focused on the Council’s “white papers” initiative.

The 110 presidents who attended the session responded to the Council’s recommendations on how to prioritize issues raised in the papers, beginning with steps to reshape presidents’ leadership role within Division III and to renew support for the division’s philosophy statement and promote its identity.

“It was clear that the presidents had read the papers and were well-informed when they came for this discussion,” said Widener President James Harris, the Council’s incoming vice chair, who led a subcommittee that wrote the papers. “I felt we only heard supportive comments from the presidents that we are moving in the right direction, and didn’t hear anything that would give us pause for concern at this moment about the agenda that is being put forward by the Presidents Council.”

The papers propose including in the philosophy statement a principle of presidential leadership. They also recommend consideration of more presidential legislative authority in addressing core philosophical issues, such as financial aid regulations and ensuring student-athletes have the same campus experience as all other students.

The Presidents Council envisions positioning presidents to provide more “big picture” or strategic leadership for Division III.

Harris and other Council representatives will report on the status of the initiative during today’s Division III business session. The initiative is intended to enlist presidents’ help in moving Division III forward in a united fashion not only in addressing issues such as membership growth, but creating what Harris called an “elevator speech” to describe simply Division III’s philosophy of intercollegiate athletics.

“We’ve put the restructuring issue behind us, and now we’re moving forward to focus on the things we cherish about Division III,” he said. “I think this is an opportunity to recommit ourselves to the original ideals of the philosophy statement.”