National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

October 27, 1997

Presidents groups set to do business in their own ways

The presidential bodies of the new NCAA governance structure will approach their work October 28 in ways that reflect the Association's new way of doing business.

The Division I Board of Directors will get its first opportunity under the new structure to give final approval to new legislation, while the Divisions II and III Presidents Councils will be preparing for the annual Convention, where both divisions will do business using the traditional one-school/one-vote method.

All three presidential groups will meet in Kansas City, Missouri.

Division I

The Board of Directors will act on legislative proposals that received second approval from the Division I Management Council at its October 20-21 meeting (see related story elsewhere on this page). It also will consider other actions taken by the Management Council.

In addition, the Board will hear recommendations related to an alternative approach to core-course review. The Board requested recommendations at its August 12 meeting from the Management Council and the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet.

Other major topics:

  • Review of issues related to Division I student-athlete employment

  • Presentation by the NCAA research staff of the first data relating to the impact of new Division I initial-eligibility standards.

  • Presentation concerning the enhanced NCAA marketing program.

  • Discussion of budgeting principles and processes.

  • Discussion of 1998 Convention activities.

    Division II

    The Division II Presidents Commission will devote much of the time during its Kansas City meeting to preparation for the 1998 Convention in Atlanta.

    It will review the 19 proposals that currently are on the agenda for the Division II business session at the Convention, including 11 proposals sponsored by the Presidents Council and eight proposals sponsored by the membership.

    The Presidents Council's proposals include measures to require the creation of conference student-athlete advisory committees, to reduce financial aid equivalency limits at institutions that sponsor cross country but do not sponsor track, and to place limits on contact practices in spring football.

    The presidents also will consider whether to support or oppose any of the membership proposals.

    Assuming a role performed in past years by the NCAA Presidents Commission, the Presidents Council will determine which proposals will be included in the Convention's Presidents Council grouping as proposals of particular interest to Division II chief executive officers. It also will determine the order in which proposals will be presented to the membership and designate proposals for roll-call voting.

    The Presidents Council also will receive a report from the October 20-21 meeting of the Division II Management Council, including information on that group's discussion of whether to end a two-year-old moratorium on accepting new members and its recommendations for filling current and future Management Council vacancies.

    Division III

    The Division III Presidents Council will consider a draft of the division's new strategic plan as prepared by the Division III Management Council. The plan sets out a vision statement and mission statement, as well as the priorities for the division for three years. It also delineates how the top priorities will be accomplished and includes a timetable for updating the plan each year.

    As approved by the Management Council at its October 20-21 meeting, the plan lists the division's priorities and a detailed operations plan for accomplishing those priorities.

    The timetable features membership input received at the NCAA Convention, issues forwarded to appropriate committees following the Convention, and committees reporting initiatives with any budget ramifications in February. The Division III Budget Committee then would make its recommendations, which would be reviewed by the Management Council and Presidents Council in April. A final plan would be approved in August by the Presidents Council.

    Also to be reviewed by the Presidents Council are topics for the forums at the Division III business sessions during the 1998 Convention. The Management Council has recommended that the forums include discussions on financial aid legislation, the draft of principles for automatic qualification to Division III championships, the survey on expanding the football championship and the strategic plan.

    Nominations to fill vacancies on the Management Council also are on the agenda. There currently are two vacancies on the Management Council, with two more to occur at the conclusion of the 1998 Convention.