The Division I Board of Directors officially reorganized the Division I governance structure at its November 1 meeting in Indianapolis, approving a leadership-based model under development for more than a year.

The Board also awarded a unit of revenue distribution to the winner of the opening-round game in the Division I men’s basketball championship and stood firm on its support of a proposal creating a minimum financial aid package for baseball student-athletes.

Board members hope the new configuration of governing bodies will provide more effective support for presidential leadership from the substructure. The Division I Management Council’s governance subcommittee devised the reorganization with feedback from a variety of constituencies, including bodies within the current structure.

The restructuring replaces the Management Council with two 31- member bodies (Legislative and Leadership Councils). A revised cabinet structure features five 21-member groups (academics, administration, amateurism, recruiting and student-athlete awards, benefits and financial aid) and one 31-member championships body.

The restructuring will take effect in September 2008.

The Leadership Council will serve as the primary advisory group to the Board, providing background information, comments and advice on issues that broadly affect intercollegiate athletics.
The Legislative Council will assume responsibility for all legislation in the annual cycle. The Board retains final authority on all legislation but should receive more assistance in managing the legislative agenda from the governance substructure.

Gender and diversity minimum requirements of 20 percent ethnic minorities and 35 percent of either gender would be fulfilled each at the 21-member body level and at the 31-member body level. The Board will play an enhanced role in ensuring diversity in the governance structure, evaluating nominees before they are approved for service. The new structure also places a premium on “position diversity,” as each conference will rotate off all positions (for example, faculty reps, ADs and senior woman administrators) at the same time to create flexibility in the nomination process and help conferences appoint more diverse candidates.

The establishment of a new governance structure essentially “wiped clean” the service slates, and all individuals who have served or are serving in the current structure will be eligible for immediate appointment to new positions. Some carryover among current members of governance bodies into the new structure is anticipated.

Over the next 10 months, current governance functions and duties will be reassigned to the new bodies. For example, issues addressed by the recruiting subcommittee of the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet will be reassigned to the new Recruiting Cabinet.

Baseball override

The Board also reiterated its belief that at least 25 percent of a baseball student-athlete’s financial aid package should be athletics aid when members deferred on an override request from the membership.

The Board’s lack of action means Division I delegates at the 2008 NCAA Convention will vote on the issue. To overturn the proposal, five-eighths of the Division I members present and voting at the Convention must vote to defeat it.

The proposal, which was revised from the original 33 percent adopted from the Baseball Academic Enhancement Working Group, now requires individual financial aid packages for baseball student-athletes to include at least 25 percent of a full scholarship, with all countable aid — not just athletics aid — to be included in the calculation toward the minimum.

Board members feel strongly that the legislation is an important piece of the package adopted from the working group, and members intend to contact every Division I president and chancellor to discourage the override vote at the Convention.

Basketball distribution

In other business, the Board approved a Division I Men’s Basketball Committee recommendation to award a unit of revenue distribution to the winner of the opening-round game in the men’s basketball tournament beginning in 2008.

Traditionally, teams receive a unit for being selected and for every victory. The exceptions had been the winner of the opening-round game and the winner of the championship game.

The basketball committee believes treating the opening-round game as other preliminary-round games not only boosts public perception of that game, but also enhances the student-athlete experience.

The opening-round game was created in 2001 when the bracket was expanded to 65 teams. While an additional team was granted access, it did not come with a financial benefit.

The opening-round game is one of nine games in the championship that are nationally televised — and the only game of the championship broadcast on ESPN.

In 2005-06, each basketball unit was about $164,000 for a total $122.8 million distribution. In 2006-07, each basketball unit will be about $177,000 for a total $132.6 million distribution. Amounts are not finalized for the 2007-08 season. Units are distributed as a set dollar amount each year for a six-year period. Awarding an extra unit will reduce the size of an individual unit between $254 and $2,227 over the six-year period.

While the Board acknowledged that the reduction in a size of a unit did not affect its decision, members agreed that the extra funds could be important for the smaller programs that traditionally participate in the opening-round game.

Other enhancements are on the table for the opening-round game, including an earlier announcement of the two teams on Selection Sunday and more flexible travel options for the participating teams. Traditionally, the teams are notified of their selection Sunday evening and tip off the tournament about 48 hours later in Dayton, Ohio.

Other highlights
Division I Board of Directors
November 1/Indianapolis

Sponsored a proposal designed to prohibit institutions from reducing or canceling aid to student-athletes during the term of the scholarship because of an injury, illness or medical condition, regardless of whether it affects the student-athlete’s ability to participate with the team that academic year. The proposal would include pregnant student-athletes. The Management Council will consider it for the first time in January.

Agreed to sponsor legislation to remove the clause in the Division I philosophy statement that says athletics departments should strive for self-sufficiency. Recommended by the Oversight and Monitoring Group that is managing proposals from the Presidential Task Force on the Future of Division I Intercollegiate Athletics, the Board wants to replace the clause with a requirement for members to maintain institutional control over all funds supporting athletics.

Expanded the Division I moratorium to prevent Division I institutions from creating a football program and joining the Football Championship Subdivision or reclassifying into the Football Championship subdivision (institutions are unable to move directly into the Football Bowl Subdivision). The recommendation from the Presidential Advisory Group will expire at the same time as the overall moratorium on new members and other reclassifications within Division I (August 9, 2011).

Black student-athletes graduating at increased rates

The Division I Board of Directors hopes a new story regarding the academic success of student-athletes, particularly black student-athletes, will be told in the wake of data that reflect large increases in the graduation rates of minority student-athletes since 1984.

From 1984 to 2000 (the last year for which six-year graduation rate data are available), the graduation rates of black male student-athletes rose from 28 percent to 49 percent. Black males in the general student body have a 39 percent graduation rate, 10 points lower than their peer group of student-athletes.

Black female student-athletes currently have a 63 percent graduation rate, while the rate for black females in the general student body is 50 percent.

The data were presented to the Board as part of a report from the Executive Committee Subcommittee on Gender and Diversity Issues, chaired by Sidney Ribeau, president of Bowling Green State University.

“The work the NCAA has done and the Board has supported on the new Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate is working, and there is more and more attention given to academic attainment, particularly among minority student-athletes,” said Michael Adams, president of the University of Georgia and chair of the NCAA Executive Committee.

Black student-athletes in men’s basketball and football have increased their graduation rates 14 points and 17 points, respectively, over the last 16 years.

Adams said while the academic-reform process is not complete, the large increases over 16 years and the obvious positive impact of participation in athletics on minority student-athletes was encouraging.

“While there is still room for improvement, these figures rebut the notion often in the media about things getting worse. Indeed, we think they’re getting better,” Adams said. “The Board stated again its firm belief to keep the focus on academic reform, to not back off of measures like the APR and the GSR and to ensure that all student-athletes are truly given the opportunity to succeed and to graduate.”