National Collegiate Athletic Association |
The NCAA News - News and FeaturesJanuary 13, 1997 A structure that will serve for years to come
BY JOSEPH N. CROWLEY At the 1996 NCAA Convention, the membership overwhelmingly adopted legislation that established a new governance structure for the Association. This legislation sets forth a governance system that features greater federation, presidential authority and a simplified administrative structure.
During the 1996 Convention, one of the delegates reminded the membership that "the devil is often in the details." During this past year, I have served as the chair of the NCAA Transition Oversight Committee, which has been responsible for oversight of the Association's transition to the new governance structure. I have worked closely with representatives from each of the three divisions to make sure that the transition has been a concerted effort. I am pleased that the spirit of cooperation and compromise that led to the adoption of the Association's new governance structure has continued during this important transition period. As a result of the efforts of each division's transition team; I am confident that the detail that will be added to the governance structure is consistent with the restructuring principles approved by the membership at last year's Convention. One of the challenges facing each division during this period of transition has been the creation of a division-specific committee structure. Realizing that the great majority of legislative issues in the new structure will be addressed in a division-specific setting, the Transition Oversight Committee focused on the development of a federated committee structure that could effectively and efficiently function in this new federated system. Accordingly, only a few NCAA committees have been retained in an Association-wide capacity. Most current committee duties have been assigned to the new federated governance structures. Even though two or more of the federated committees may handle the same duties in the new structure, the Transition Oversight Committee encourages division-specific committees to continue to work with one another. Thus, the opportunity for multiple-division dialogue on a specific topic of common interest will continue in the new structure. The Transition Oversight Committee also realizes the importance of guaranteeing the continuation of dialogue among each division's primary governance groups. In this regard, the committee has developed a budget and meeting schedule for the new structure, which establishes a uniform budget cycle for each division and guarantees that each division's presidential administrative groups and each division's Management Councils will have same-site meetings at least four times a year (January, April, July, October). These same-site meetings should facilitate dialogue among the divisions regarding common issues or concerns. The Transition Oversight Committee also discussed funding and staffing issues that may result in the new structure. All three divisions have agreed that, in general, staff members at the national office serve the entire Association, and not specific divisions. Accordingly, all new staffing needs, including those for new or expanded division-specific programs, ultimately will be addressed by the new NCAA Executive Committee exercising its authority to resolve Association-wide issues. If the Executive Committee concludes that the addition of staff members is necessary, it will have two options in this regard:
In addition to the new and expanded opportunities created for individuals in each division to serve on federated committees, the Transition Oversight Committee spent a great deal of time discussing ways to enhance the role of student-athletes in the governance process. The committee believes it is important to improve student-athlete access to each division's legislative process and to increase opportunities for student-athlete participation in each division's governance structure. The Transition Oversight Committee realizes that, in the spirit of federation and as a result of the differences in the divisions' legislative processes, it was necessary for each division to develop opportunities for student-athlete participation that are unique to the needs of the division's membership and its student-athletes. After reviewing each division's proposed plan for student-athlete participation, the committee believes that student-athlete involvement has been enhanced greatly in each division. The Transition Oversight Committee has spent a great deal of time during the past year developing ways to ensure that all three divisions continue to operate as one Association. While we all agree that the autonomy created by the new federated governance structures will benefit each division as they address issues unique to their membership, we also agree that it is fundamentally important to maintain communication and dialogue among all three divisions and to continue to work together to resolve common issues. Proposal Nos. 8-56 (pages 9-117 in the Official Notice) represent the legislative proposals sponsored by the NCAA Presidents Commission, the NCAA Council or the membership that attempt to fine-tune or clarify the new governance structure. The issues addressed by these proposals are questions that must be answered in order to implement the new structure. Most of these center on the specifics of the restructuring plan that could be addressed only during this period of transition. Some of these legislative proposals are supported by the transition teams and others are not. You will hear discussion during the general business session and your division's business session about these various proposals, and you must decide whether the legislation is consistent with the philosophy of your division's new governance structure. I believe that our new governance structure is ready for implementation. The Association's committee plan set forth in 1997 Convention Proposal No. 28 will allow the new structure to be fully operational by its target effective date of August 1, 1997. Years of effort, months of planning and hours of compromise have provided the Association with a governance structure that will serve the membership's needs for years to come. I applaud everyone who has been involved -- and hundreds of people have been -- in the Association's restructuring process. Joseph N. Crowley is president of the University of Nevada and chair of the NCAA Transition Oversight Committee.
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When I spoke at the Convention last year in favor of the restructuring legislation, I reminded the membership that restructuring always has been envisioned as a two-step process. The first step was accomplished last year when the framework and foundation for the new governance structure were created. The second step involves implementation of the details for the new structure, and this is what the membership will consider at the 1997 Convention in Nashville.