DIVISION III PRESIDENTS QUARTERLY UPDATE - FEBRUARY 2023
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR, CHANCELLOR JIM SCHMIDT
It is with great honor to continue my service as the council chair. With the higher education and athletics landscape ever-evolving, making alterations for the betterment of our student-athletes is the top priority of our council. This quarterly update highlights our January meeting at the recent 2023 NCAA Convention. I encourage you to review and discuss the topics included in this update with your presidential colleagues, athletics direct reports and commissioners.
BOARD OF GOVERNORS SUBCOMMITTEE ON CONGRESSIONAL ENGAGEMENT
The council participated in conversations surrounding the work of the Board of Governors Subcommittee on Congressional Engagement. The subcommittee was formed to provide guidance to the Board of Governors on what actions and steps the Association should take to seek congressional partnership in addressing issues that have resulted from state legislative activity and recent legal rulings. The Presidents Council joined the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Management Council to discuss today’s core threats to college athletics, such as the consequences associated with an employment-based model for college athletes and the implications of state-by-state patchwork of laws impacting college sports. We heard about the subcommittee’s work to develop future federal legislation that: governs defined aspects of college sports; codifies a student-athletes non-employment status; and provides safe harbor from future lawsuits. If you weren’t with us in San Antonio or weren’t able to attend the “State of College Sports” session, I’d encourage you to watch it here as it outlines the issues and the work of the BOG subcommittee
2023 CONVENTION LEGISLATION
Division III delegates adopted seven proposals, in addition to a mental health hardship waiver resolution. The final voting results grid is available on the 2023 Convention resource webpage. A summary of the proposals in the presidential grouping includes the following:
Proposal No. 2023-3. ADOPTED. Requests the governance structure to collaborate and establish a hardship waiver process for mental health to include its own waiver criteria separate from a physical injury. The resolution has an immediate effective date.
Proposal No. 2023-4. ADOPTED. Provides the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee one vote at the Division III Business Session of the NCAA Convention. This proposal has an Aug. 1, 2023, effective date.
Proposal No. 2023-5. ADOPTED. Adjusts the composition of six designated governance committees to provide the following: (1) consistency in size and regional representation on designated committees; and (2) a student-athlete voice on governance committees where such representation is not currently present. This proposal has an Aug. 1, 2023, effective date.
Proposal No. 2023-7. ADOPTED. Ensures that each Division III multi-sport conference will have one representative on either Presidents or Management Council and that the conference’s slot on either will alternate accordingly. The Nominating Committee will coordinate the nominations. This proposal has an Aug. 1, 2024, effective date.
Proposal No. 2023-9. ADOPTED. Requires an institution to have a bona fide invitation from an active Division III conference before applying for Division III membership and maintain a conference affiliation during the Division III membership process. The effective date for this proposal starts for institutions, whose provisional or reclassifying membership process will begin during or after the 2024-25 academic year.
DIVISION III PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT REVIEW
The council reviewed findings from the Division III Philosophy Statement survey sent to the membership in November and discussed areas in which to seek feedback during the Division III Issues Forum in relation to a proposed draft statement . The Philosophy Statement Review Working Group will use the feedback to continue to examine whether the current Division III philosophy statement still reflects today’s Division III higher education and athletics landscape. Working group recommendations will be forwarded to the council.
DIVISION III GRADUATION RATES
The council reviewed the most recent Division III graduation rates. Student-athlete graduation-rate reporting was mandatory for the third time with this reporting cycle. The Division III national four-year average Academic Success Rate (ASR) continues to hold steady at 88 percent. Even when utilizing the less-inclusive federal rate, Division III student-athletes perform better than the general student body. Click here for more information.
DIVISION III AWARD WINNERS
The council would like to congratulate this year’s award winners honored at the NCAA Convention in San Antonio. The Division III LGBTQ of the Year Recognition Award recipients are, Centennial Conference (Conference/Athletics Department of the Year), Courtnie Prather, UC Santa Cruz (Administrator/Coach/Staff of the Year), and Elise Morris, Middlebury (Student-Athlete of the Year). Dr. Marsha Harris, New York University, received the Silver Anniversary Award, recognizing the 25th anniversary of the completion of her college career. Blaine Hawkins, Central (Iowa) and Jack Mulvihill, St. John Fisher were recognized with Today’s Top 10 Award, given to outstanding senior student-athletes from the previous academic year. The NCAA Woman of the Year award was presented to Karenna Groff, MIT. Congratulations to all this year’s award recipients.
DEPARTING MEMBERS
The Division III Presidents Council saw three individuals attend their last meeting. Rich Dunsworth, University of the Ozarks (AR); Robert Lindgren, Randolph-Macon College, and SAAC representative Jessica Ader finished their terms with the conclusion of the 2023 NCAA Convention. The Council welcomed five new members: Allan Belton, Pacific Lutheran University; Marc Camille, Albertus Magnus College; Hiram Chodosh, Claremont McKenna College; Steven Mauro, Alfred State College; and Laura Trombley, Southwestern University.
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 January 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
