Management Council, Oct. 21-22
Sports betting. The council received updates from the Sports Science Institute and Office of Legal Affairs as it continues to discuss the current sports betting legislation. It discussed the pros and cons to deregulating the current legislation to permit betting on professional sports. It also discussed the type of information that would best support a harm reduction strategy in the area of sports betting.

Federated playing rules. The council discussed the findings from the review of the division’s playing rules process it approved in July 2023. The review was conducted to determine if the process was being implemented and if improvements could be made. The council approved two amendments to the process. The first is to establish a standard orientation for the committee members involved in the process and develop a policies and procedures resource. The second is to create a subcommittee of the Management Council that will provide additional oversight and guidance of playing rules that have a budgetary impact and/or impacts a fundamental Division III principle. These changes will be implemented immediately and used for any new rule introduced into the playing rules cycle.

Convention legislation. The council took a formal position of support for the following membership-sponsored convention proposals:

• Creating a process for Management Council to exempt certain playing rules.
• Reduce the minimum members for a multi-sport conference from seven to six members.
• Allow every multi-sport conference and group of independent institutions to have a primary representative on the Division III National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Championship Committee. The council approved a request from the Championships Committee to conduct the 2028 Women’s Basketball Championship at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis as part of the Women’s Final Four. The council noted that participation in past joint basketball championships has provided an outstanding experience for the participating teams as well as providing greater exposure for the division.

The council also provided feedback on a recommendation to the Championships Committee to change the men’s and women’s soccer date formula.

Non-controversial legislation. The council approved, in concept, the following non-controversial proposals:

Expenses – Professional Team. To permit a student-athlete to accept actual and necessary expenses from a professional athletics team to participate in a tryout with that team beyond the current 48-hour limit.

Intercollegiate Competition. To clarify the definition of intercollegiate competition in Bylaws 14 (Eligibility) and 17 (Playing and Practice Seasons).

Presidential Committee Terms. Require all terms on Division III committees be four-years, including presidents and chancellors.

Endocrinology Expertise on Committee for Compeitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport. To specify that the position on CSMAS designated for a physician with expertise in endocrinology may be filled by an individual who is either “on the staff” at a member institution or a member of the “general public.”

Consolidation of Associate-wide Committees. Consolidate the Committee on Women’s Athletics, the Minority Opportunities and Interest Committee, the Board of Governors Committee to Promote Cultural Diversity and Equity and the Gender Equity Task Force into one comprehensive committee that will focus on Association-wide issues regarding diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

NCAA Woman of the Year Award to the NCAA Honors Committee. Amend the duties of the NCAA Honors Committee to include oversight and management of the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

Presidents Council, Oct. 28-29
Presidents Advisory Group. The Presidents Council met with members of the Presidents Advisory Group. The presidents and chancellors engaged with President Baker, Chief Medical Officer, Deena Casiero, discussed the 2025 NCAA Convention proposals and engaged in a roundtable discussion on sports betting.

Board of Governors representative. The council elected Jim Troha, Juniata president and current chair of the Presidents Council, as the new Division III representative on the Board of Governors to serve a two-year term effective with the close of the 2025 NCAA Convention.

2025 legislative proposals. The council discussed the 2025 Division III convention proposals, and identified three for the presidential grouping, three for the general grouping and referred one governance proposal back to Management Council for further consideration. The council identified the following three proposals for the presidential grouping: 

1. Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Change in Composition. The council supports a membership sponsored proposal that would establish a primary representative on the National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for each multi-sport conference and the group of independents. This proposal aims to provide more clarity and consistency in the role of committee members.
2. Multisport Conference Membership Size Minimum Requirement. The council supports a membership sponsored proposal that would reduce the minimum size requirement of a multisport conference from seven to six members.
3. Legislative Cycle. This governance sponsored proposal includes a package of concepts that would amend the legislative process.

Graduate Student Eligibility Exemption. The council referred this proposal back to Management Council for further review. Generally, the council supported the proposal’s concept to address the changing higher education landscape but highlighted concerns with the unknown regarding application and impact. The proposal would have created an exception that would allow a student who has graduated from a Division III institution to maintain their athletics eligibility for that Division III institution while enrolled at an accredited non-member institution without a varsity athletics program, provided there is a formal institutional academic relationship between the Division III institution and the accredited non-member institution.

Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Nov. 10-11
2025 NCAA Convention legislation. SAAC will provide feedback from legislation discussions with their conference SAACs. The committee will take the official National SAAC positions on the Division III proposals and prepare position papers.

Election of officers and committee positions. During the meeting, elections for chair, vice chair and communications director will take place. There also will be elections for various Division III and Associate-wide committee positions.

SAAC subcommittees and convention planning. The committee will share, evaluate progress, and continue plans to meet their 2024 goals for the following subcommittees – Hot Topics, Sports Ethics and Fan Behavior, and Mental and Physical Health. SAAC also will focus on 2025 NCAA Convention planning surrounding the joint breakfast with Management and Presidents Councils, Division III Student-Athlete Luncheon, Special Olympics Unified Sports Activity, and the SAAC sponsored Division III Student Social Mixer.

SAVE THE DATE: Division III SAAC Town Hall – Nov. 18
The Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Mental and Physical Health Subcommittee will be hosting a virtual town hall for student-athletes at 8 p.m. Eastern time Nov. 18. The town hall will feature special guests Dr. Deena Casiero and Division III student-athlete Kaya Mahy. To register click here.

Strategic Planning and Finance Committee, Nov. 12
Budget. The committee will review the division’s budget and future forecast.

Strategic priorities. The committee will review the identified strategic priorities for 2024-25 and continue its review and implementation of the recommendations identified during last year’s review by Deloitte.

Convention Planning Subcommittee, Nov. 14
2025 Convention planning. The subcommittee will review and discuss the agendas for the Division III convention programs and sessions.