A new biennial budget process has been implemented for the NCAA governance structure that will allow the Association to better support the priorities established by the NCAA Executive Committee for the coming years.

The change stems from a refocus on strategic planning that the Executive Committee launched two years ago when it established the following broad-based priorities that would guide Association business in the years ahead:

Those priorities are purposely broad and are intended to be the umbrella under which NCAA committees conduct future business. The new budget process represents a key component. Now, instead of committees targeting what used to be a February 15 deadline for submitting budget requests for the next fiscal year, they will need to have requests ready by November for the next two fiscal years.

That's what has been happening since June, as division and Association-wide committees have peered into their crystal ball for the 2002-03 and 2003-04 fiscal years. In November, the Executive Committee's Budget Committee will begin reviewing all the requests and will have recommendations ready for the April 2002 governance meetings. The two-year budget then receives final approval from the Executive Committee in August 2002.

"The steps in the budget process -- from the submission of requests to final approval -- have not changed significantly, but the way we think about budget requests is different," said Carol Cartwright, president at Kent State University and chair of the Executive Committee's Budget Committee. "We want committees to think about the big-picture priorities and then establish their budget priorities accordingly."

Cartwright said that the new process is intended to encourage committees to make their requests with the Executive Committee's priorities in mind.

"Committees will probably not have to struggle to fit their normal budget needs into the Executive Committee's broad-based priorities," she said. "The goal is to help people focus on those broader priorities and link them to the budget over an extended period."

Divisions II and III already have molded long-range goals under the umbrella of the Executive Committee's priorities. Division III has targeted initiatives that focus on diversity, membership education and student-athlete welfare. Division II's long-range plan includes championships enhancements and academic support services. Division I's strategic plan is still in progress.

Jim Isch, NCAA vice-president for finance and information services, said the biennial process puts all three divisions on the same page when it comes to matching budget requests with the Association's priorities. In other words, he said the process puts planning in front of the dollars.

"In effect," he said, "the priorities now drive the budget. Committees that are developing initiatives should make sure those initiatives support the priorities before they request funding."

The new process also means that committees will not be making any additional budget requests this time next year. With the 2002-03 and 2003-04 budgets in place by next August, committees won't submit new requests until June through November of 2003 (for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 fiscal years).

"The Budget Committee is trying to get people to think beyond immediate needs and more toward a long-range plan that better meets the priorities," Cartwright said. "In effect, we're saying -- let's think long-term and make clear decisions about our priorities. Then as we fund the priorities over time, we'll see a real difference."