DIVISION III PRESIDENTS QUARTERLY UPDATE - AUGUST 2024
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR, PRESIDENT JIM TROHA
I am Jim Troha, president of Juniata College and chair of the Division III Presidents Council. It is an exciting time of year as our campuses are gearing up for the start of a new academic year filled with opportunities. In this quarterly newsletter, you'll find highlights from the August 2024 Presidents Council meeting, and I encourage you to share and discuss these important topics with your fellow presidents, athletics directors, and commissioners as we look forward to a successful year ahead.
BUDGET ENHANCEMENTS
The Council approved the recommendation from the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee for Division III’s two-year budget for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. The budget includes increases of $438,500 for enrichment fund initiatives, which encompass conference grant funding, officiating support, professional development for athletic trainers and sports information professionals, and updates to the OneTeam Program. It also allocates $3.5 million for championships, covering expenses such as bracket expansion, increased per diem and officiating fees, and a joint championship for men's basketball. Furthermore, $3.5 million is designated for supplemental expenses, which will provide select team championship hosts with stipends to offset livestreaming costs, create a national platform for hosting livestreams of preliminary rounds for team championships, establish a health and safety grant for schools, and allow funding flexibility in setting brackets to protect highly ranked teams.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
The council also approved the 2024-2026 strategic plan that includes the division's new philosophy statement. The strategic plan serves as the foundation for the division’s programs, resource allocations, and regulatory decisions. The plan outlines the division's strategic priorities by detailing the available programs and services as well as the objectives that must be achieved in the current budget biennium for the division to succeed.
TRANSFER LEGISLATION ACTION
The council took emergency legislative action to amend the requirement that transferring student-athletes must serve an academic year of residence before becoming eligible to compete, effective immediately. The new proposal specifies that while a student-athlete who transfers in an academically ineligible status will not gain immediate eligibility. Rather, they may restore their eligibility after completing the first term at their new Division III institution, contingent upon meeting the school's academic standards for all student-athletes. The council decided that immediate action via emergency legislation was warranted due to the recent and potential future legal challenges faced by the NCAA and noted that the membership will have an opportunity to discuss the change at the 2025 Convention when it will be asked to ratify the action.
2025 CONVENTION LEGISLATION AND SCHEDULE
The council reviewed the current slate of proposals for the 2025 NCAA Convention. The governance structure is currently sponsoring four proposals and the membership, to date, is sponsoring five proposals. The council initially identified the following proposals as requiring Presidents Council review. The council will formally consider it at its October meeting.
A membership proposal that allows for each multi-sport conference to have a primary representative on the National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
A membership proposal that would reduce the legislative membership size requirements for a multisport conference from seven to six.
A governance proposal that would create 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.
A governance proposal that would amend the Division III legislative process.
The 2025 NCAA Convention will take place January 14-17 in Nashville and includes a Division III Presidents and Chancellors Forum scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 15, the Division III Issues Forum on Jan. 16, and the Business Session on Jan. 17. Click here for more information.
ATHLETIC TRAINING WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS
The council received the Athletic Training Working Group recommendations pertaining to culture and communication, workload, work life balance, compensation, and possible areas for monetary support from the NCAA. The working group will provide the membership with its final recommendation/report by September.
SPORTS WAGERING
In line with the Association’s ongoing evaluation of sports betting, the council examined its effects on Division III student-athletes and athletics departments. The council will seek feedback from the membership, and during its Oct. meeting, it will discuss a potential modification to deregulate betting on professional sports.
COUNCIL LEADERSHIP
The council extended Jim Troha's term for another year, and selected Marc Camille, president at Albertus Magnus, as vice chair, effective with the close of the 2025 NCAA Convention. Additionally, the council approved the Division III Nominating Committee’s recommendation regarding four new council members effective Aug. 1. Click here for the council roster.
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 August 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.
