DIVISION III PRESIDENTS QUARTERLY UPDATE - MAY 2022
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR PRESIDENT TROY HAMMOND
I
am Troy Hammond, the president of North Central College, Naperville, IL and chair of the Division III Presidents Council. As the spring semester concludes, I hope this quarterly update finds you and your campus flourishing with excitement. It is hard to believe that the academic year is ending, and with it, commencement celebrations are upon us! This quarterly update highlights the recent 2022 April Presidents Council meeting. I encourage you to review and discuss the topics included in this update with your presidential colleagues, athletics direct reports and commissioners.
PRESIDENTS COUNCIL COMPOSITION
We have exciting news around amplifying the voice of the student-athlete! Per the new NCAA Constitution, the Council adopted noncontroversial legislation to amend the Council composition to include two student-athletes from the national Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) effective August 1. Each student-athlete will serve a one-year renewable term and have full voting rights. We also welcomed five new members to Council during the April meeting. Click here for the Council roster.
NEW NCAA CONSTITUTION REQUIREMENTS
In accordance with the new Constitution, there is another important step forward for our students. The Council received and approved a recommendation from the Division III SAAC on the selection process for a student-athlete who has graduated within four years to serve on the Board of Governors. Division III SAAC will solicit applications, via the NCAA Program Hub, from the Division III membership. The SAAC executive leadership will review the nominations, select its finalists in collaboration with the full SAAC and request the Presidents Council Nominations Subcommittee make the final recommendation subject to full Presidents Council approval.
The Council also approved a new process to select the Division III Presidents Council representative to the Board of Governors for a two-year renewable term of service. All eligible Council members will be given the opportunity to indicate interest in being nominated and the full Council will utilize rank-choice voting to select this important Board of Governor representation for the division.
2022 DIVISION III MEMBERSHIP SURVEY
The Council reviewed the 2022 Division III Membership Survey feedback and the work of the Division III Advisory Council. It also reviewed the Division III bylaws, policies and initiatives review chart that details issues identified in the membership survey as well as from affiliate groups (e.g., DIIICA and NADIIIAA) and governance committees. The Council discussed the existing Division III philosophy statement at the request of the Management and Advisory Councils. As the division continues to comprehensively review its strategic priorities during the current transformational period, the Council agreed a review was necessary and has tasked the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee to take the lead in this review. During its June meeting, SPFC will develop the review charge and timeline, and seek approval from the Presidents Council during its early August meeting. The Council noted the importance of engaging the membership in this review.
PROPOSAL No. 2022-3 REFERRAL
After receiving an update from the Interpretations and Legislation Committee regarding Proposal No. 2022-3 (Only Competition Triggering Use of a Season), the Council agreed with the committee's decision to not recommend any legislative action from the governance structure until there is a review of the division's philosophy statement.
CAMPUS SEXUAL VIOLENCE POLICY
In April 2020, the NCAA Board of Governors expanded the Association-wide policy on campus sexual violence to include individual accountability measures. The Council noted the work of a Management Council task force that developed key talking points that will allow athletics directors to have more informed discussions with their campus legal counsels. The Council confirmed staff distributed the talking points to the Division III membership along with a frequently-asked-questions document.
GENDER EQUITY REVIEW
The Council received an update that the Championships Committee supported a recommendation to increase the women’s lacrosse squad size from 28 to 32, the travel party from 33 to 37, and the bench limits from 42 to 50. The recommendation addresses existing inequities between Division III men’s and women’s lacrosse regarding squad size, travel party size, and bench limits, all of which are fewer for women’s lacrosse than for men’s lacrosse. The Division III Administrative Committee approved the recommendation with an immediate effective date.
DIVISION III VICE PRESIDENT
Congratulations Louise! Louise McCleary was named the NCAA vice president of Division III, effective April 24. McCleary brings decades of administration experience, including the past 10 years at the NCAA national office working with Division III. She had served as the interim vice president of Division III since February 2021. For more information, clickhere
CONCLUSION
It is my intent that the quarterly update provides the necessary and critical information to assist you in the oversight of Division III athletics on your campus. You can find a full recap of the April Presidents Council meeting here and the Summary of Actions, which highlights all recent Council actions. As always, I welcome any comments or questions.
This email was sent to NCAA Division III presidents and chancellors;conference commissioners and athletics direct reports based on contact information in the NCAA Directory.
National Collegiate Athletic Association, 700 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204 US
