National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

August 17, 1998

CEOs to have final say on enhancement distribution

The answer to Division II's $3 million question is not yet known, but it is now clear who will be providing the answer.

The Division II Presidents Council did not decide at its August 11 meeting how to distribute the $3 million Division II enhancement fund, but it did determine that it is the appropriate body to make the decision and that further discussion at the 1999 NCAA Convention is not necessary.

After extensive discussion, the presidents chose to gather more information, consult with their peers and discuss the matter again in October, at which time a decision likely will be made.

The presidents are working with two models recommended by the Division II Management Council, which examined the issue at its July 27-29 meeting. At that time, the Management Council agreed that the distribution should be consistent with the Division II philosophy (especially as it relates to competitive excellence and participation opportunities) and that it should embrace the conference structure that was endorsed in the restructuring of the Association.

After reviewing several different alternatives, the Management Council agreed that the following models are most suited to those philosophical guidelines:

  • One-third equally distributed among the membership, with the remaining two-thirds going to the conferences, based equally on performance in the Division II men's and women's basketball championships.

  • One third equally distributed among the membership, one-third to conferences based on performance in the men's and women's basketball championships (with an equal emphasis on each), and one-third to conferences based on the number of conference championships they offer.

    At their August 11 meeting, most of the presidents seemed to prefer the second option, but they were concerned that it could have a significant adverse financial effect on certain conferences.

    A Division II Budget and Finance Committee comparison showed that six of the 22 conferences would receive less money than they currently do under the first model while five of the 22 would receive less than they currently do under the men's and women's basketball/conference championships model. However, the reduction would be substantially smaller in the first model for those conferences that are affected.

    The presidents discussed whether other funds -- perhaps from the division's unallocated funds -- could be used to hold conferences harmless from whatever change is implemented, at least during a transition period. However, they also appeared to believe that over the long term, the distribution should be structured to encourage more conference championships .

    Whatever change is implemented will not occur until the 2000-01 academic year.

    Currently, the division distributes the enhancement fund by dividing $1.5 million equally among the membership and $1.5 million among the conferences based on their performance in the Division II Men's Basketball Championship.