The NCAA Division III staff has created this bi-weekly communication for the Division III membership to provide up-to-date communications on recent Division III governance meeting discussions and outcomes. Please share this communication with your campus and conference colleagues.
Recent Governance Meetings - Key Discussions and Outcomes.
FAR Advisory Group, June 10. Council updates. The group was provided with updates on two key council actions from their April meetings. It also reviewed the criteria and process that was established for the Pilot Eligibility Waiver Program and was given the background and potential next steps for the council’s referral of accreditation legislation.
Presidents Advisory Group, June 10. Key discussions. The advisory group discussed and provided feedback on sports betting, the division’s strategic priorities, 2026 governance sponsored legislation, the eligibility waiver pilot, transfer portal review and current accreditation requirements.
Interpretations and Legislation Committee, June 12 Bylaw 16 review. The committee completed its review of bylaw 16 and recommended that the Management Council sponsor the following three concepts for the 2026 Convention:
Deregulate the amount limitations for participation, championships and special achievement awards.
Allow permissible entertainment for student-athletes during the season to include professional sports contests and clarify that permissible entertainment can only occur during the playing season.
Allow student-athletes to receive expenses from the institution for one post-eligibility recognition contest (e.g. all-star contest).
Transfer portal. The committee recommended that the Management Council sponsor 2026 Convention legislation making use of the transfer portal mandatory while still maintaining the exception for the self-release. The committee believes this will reduce the burden for compliance administrators as they process student-athletes’ requests to both transfer to and from their institutions.
The council will consider these recommendations during its summer meeting.
Upcoming Meetings and Anticipated Discussions.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee, June 16 Programs and engagement. The committee will discuss current Division III programs and engagement that support diversity, equity and inclusion.
Championships Committee, June 16-17 Championships live streaming. The committee will receive the spring live streaming results.
Coaches Connect Program. The committee will identify the initial championships to be involved in the newly created Coaches Connect Program starting with the 2025-26 academic year.
Playing rules committee structure. The committee will provide feedback on a potential change to the playing rules committee structure. The proposed changes include Division II and III working together to oversee the division’s playing rules process. Any changes will ensure that each division has autonomy over its playing rules and maintains the federated rules process.
Convention Planning Subcommittee, June 25 Education sessions. The subcommittee will finalize its recommendations for the Division III convention educational sessions for the Division III Management Council. One of the sessions being recommended to the council was selected from proposals submitted by the Division III membership.
Convention programing. The subcommittee will continue to discuss Division III convention programing and the agendas for the Issues Forum and Business Session.
Membership Committee, June 25-26 Annual reports. The committee will review annual reports from four Provisional and Reclassifying institutions. The committee will vote to advance the University of Hartford (Year 3 Reclassifying) and Lyon College (Year 3 Provisional) to active status and vote to advance Carlow University (Year 2 Provisional) and Penn State University – Brandywine (Year 1 Provisional) to the next year in the three-year process.
Regional Rules Seminar. The committee will consider recommending to the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee to establish funding for the livestream of future Division III Regional Rules Seminar education sessions.
Referral of accreditation legislation. The committee will review the Management Council referral of legislation seeking to amend Division III Bylaws pertaining to accreditation. The committee will discuss and determine an appropriate pathway forward on the matter.
PC Futures Subcommittee, June 26 Mission and purpose. With feedback from the Presidents Council, the subcommittee will finalize its mission and purpose.
Strategic priorities. With direction from the Presidents Council, the subcommittee will begin a deeper review and analysis on identified strategic priorities to discuss during the August Presidents Council meeting.
Reminders.
Show Me the Money. Click here for a chart that details grants and programs, including application timelines and benefits, for the 2025-26 academic year.
Gambling and Sports Betting Harm Reduction Resource. Click here for a document that discusses harm reduction strategies in the context of gambling and sports betting in collegiate sports and provides relevant resources. The information provided is resultant from discussions of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports.
Student-Athlete Leadership Forum. The NCAA is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Student-Athlete Leadership Forum, Nov. 20-23 in Dallas. Nominations and completed applications are due June 23 at 5 p.m. Eastern via the
NCAA Program Hub. This forum offers unparalleled opportunities for attendees to grow personally and professionally, fostering leadership skills and networking with peers. Institutions from Area 4 (California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin) are eligible to attend.
With every communication, we also anticipate additional questions. Please send all questions to DIIIGovernance@ncaa.org. Thank you for your continued collaboration and leadership.
This email was sent to NCAA Division III Presidents Council, Management Council, commissioners, directors of athletics and the NADIIIAA executive board based on contact information in the NCAA Directory.
National Collegiate Athletic Association, 700 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204 US
