The Division I Management Council’s governance subcommittee continued its work during an April 9 meeting on ensuring that the Division I structure operates efficiently and facilitates communication among conferences and committees.

Recently, the Board of Directors asked the subcommittee, the group charged with monitoring and suggesting improvements to the structure and the legislative cycle, to initiate a comprehensive review to determine whether changes were necessary. The structure has been tweaked several times since its implementation in 1997, most often in an attempt to mitigate the disenfranchisement athletics practitioners often feel in a representative structure, and to give the Board more quality information and feedback upon which to formulate its strategic agenda and make informed legislative decisions.

The subcommittee’s current review primarily concerns the role of the substructure in reporting to the Board. Presidents have questioned whether the current Management Council/cabinet structure provides the Board with the most meaningful information. Other administrators also wonder whether the structure prompts the kind of information sharing among conferences that facilitates a national discussion. Some feel that discussion is not occurring at the Council or cabinet level in part due to the practice of conferences directing votes for their representatives.

Accordingly, the subcommittee is working to identify characteristics that a successful structure should exhibit before it makes specific recommendations. At a minimum, subcommittee members believe that the structure should:

• Provide the Board with quality information and helpful guidance;

• Allow for the governance substructure and membership to provide meaningful and significant input;

• Result in a global examination of issues and enhance communication at all levels regarding the major issues facing Division I, so that the structure helps lead the division rather than simply react to events; and

• Be responsive and nimble enough to solve issues quickly when warranted.

With that perspective in mind, the subcommittee is evaluating possible revisions to the structure to better prompt those outcomes. Several preliminary models are being considered, including some that would modify the structure and function of the Management Council and cabinets. Retaining the status quo also is an option the subcommittee is considering.

The governance subcommittee will solicit feedback from conferences and will continue its review through the summer before reporting to the Board of Directors later this year.