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.

Presidents Advisory Group, June 15
Division III Analysis. The advisory group received an overview of the ongoing Division III Analysis and provided feedback on the identified tensions and in particular, the tension surrounding governance and oversight, to the working group. 

Campus senior leadership initiative. The advisory group generally supported a new initiative to better engage and educate campus senior leaders (i.e., presidents/chancellors and Athletics Direct Reports). The feedback will be shared with the Presidents Council during its Aug. meeting.

Joint presidential session. The advisory group received information regarding a joint meeting between the PAG, Presidents Council and Division II Executive Board in late October in Indianapolis. The goal of the joint meeting is to find consensus on the top higher education trends and the impact on Division III and II campuses and athletics programs. 

Championships Committee, June 15-16
Alcohol sales at championships. The committee reviewed the current Division III legislation that prohibits the sale of alcohol at championships, except for during joint championships with other divisions, conducted at the same venue. Division I and II have policies that allow for the sale of alcohol at venues that meet established parameters. The committee discussed the benefits and challenges of adopting a similar policy and directed staff to develop potential survey questions for the Division III membership regarding current regular-season practices and the selling capabilities of Division III finals sites to inform future discussions.

Division III championships hosts. The committee discussed whether to require a Division III institution or conference to be the host as a condition of submitting a bid to host Division III championship competition. The committee weighed the pros and cons and potential unintended consequences of this type of requirement and determined that no pressing concerns have arisen in cases when a non-Division III entity hosted to warrant recommending any changes at this time.

National Collegiate Committee review. The committee forwarded a request to the Management Council to adopt noncontroversial legislation to accommodate the following changes: 1.) Permit national collegiate committees to include nonvoting members (e.g., secretary rules editor); 2.) Add a Division I student-athlete as a non-voting member to national collegiate committees; and 3.) Guarantee Division I autonomy conference representation when the conference sponsors a sport at the conference level which will count within the existing Division I representation requirements. The Management Council will act on the recommendation during its July meeting.

NCAA Power Index (NPI). The committee reviewed the initial proposed NPI changes from the fall and winter sport committees. The committee determined it will review final recommendations from fall and winter sport committees, as well as spring sport committees, during its August videoconference.

During its February meeting, the committee discussed feedback suggesting the NPI should be locked after the regular season and not include conference tournament competition for the purpose of determining at-large teams. The NPI currently is active through conference tournament play. After additional discussion, the committee believed locking the NPI before the conference tournaments would diminish the value of those tournaments and reduce the opportunity for borderline teams to build their resumes. Accordingly, the committee did not recommend changing the timing of the final NPI for the coming year.

Coaches Connect Program. The committee reviewed results from a participant survey regarding the first year of the Coaches Connect Program that began with football, women’s ice hockey, and men’s and women’s tennis. Based on the feedback from the survey, the committee agreed to add women’s soccer, men’s basketball, and men’s golf to the slate for 2026-27 and make adjustments based on survey feedback to improve the way information is communicated throughout the program. Staff will work to populate the rosters for the additional sports and arrange videoconferences accordingly for the coming year.

Role of Regional Advisory Committees. The committee reviewed the RACs’ role in rankings and selections given the introduction of the NPI. The committee acted to eliminate the RACs as they are currently defined beginning with the 2026-27 academic year (though men’s and women’s golf and men’s and women’s tennis will retain their RAC structure for the time being).

Video replay requirements. The committee reviewed, as information, a document listing video review requirements by sport that have been implemented or approved over the last academic year. Staff will continue updating this document for the membership. The committee also reaffirmed to sport committees the desired timeline for implementing new video review requirements (roughly an 18-month runway for action/recommendation emerging from a sport committee’s annual meeting with implementation for the following year’s championship).

Budget planning. The committee submitted its final budget recommendations for 2026-27 and 2027-28. The Strategic Planning and Finance Committee will review and make its recommendations to the councils to act during their summer meetings.

Men’s basketball. The committee approved a one-time recommendation to move the 2027 Division III men’s basketball semifinal and championship games from Thursday, March 18, and Saturday, March 20, to Friday, March 19, and Sunday March 21. The adjustment was necessary to avoid logistical and fan attendance challenges due to the host city of  Pittsburgh also being awarded the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship first and second rounds that same week.

Women’s basketball. The committee approved the recommendation to adjust the format of the quarterfinals and the semifinals during the joint championship in 2028 so that the eight teams advancing from the third round will travel to Salem, Virginia, to play the quarterfinals and semifinals – two quarterfinal games on Thursday, March 16, and two quarterfinal games on Friday, March 17. The two advancing teams from Thursday will play in a semifinal game on Saturday, March 18, and the two advancing teams from Friday will play in a semifinal game on Sunday, March 19. This is a one-time adjustment to accommodate Division III’s participation in the joint women’s basketball championship in 2028.

Men’s wrestling. The committee approved Wabash College hosting the Region V tournament and Loras College hosting the Region VI tournament for the 2027 Division III Men’s Wrestling Championships. 

Division III Analysis, June 16
Gap analysis, emerging themes, and initial roadmap creation. The working group reviewed the identified options, then sequenced the options into a prioritized roadmap, and concluded the review by pressure testing the capacity to implement each option to ensure alignment with next steps. After this discussion, the working group is recommendeding Presidents Council refer some options to existing governance committees and some to the membership for additional review and proposed implementation, as needed.

Fundamental considerations. The consultants introduced a process for the working group to explore fundamental changes if directed by the Presidents Council. To demonstrate the process, the consultants provided a case study to outline the steps to explore a concept to subdivide/divide the division. The case study demonstrated that there are many ways to divide (e.g., resources, competitive aspirations, admissions, etc.), and a split is not one decision but multiple decisions, and each decision carries its own tradeoffs, costs, and political risk (e.g., championships impact, conference structures, rules and standards, governance oversight, mobility between identified divisions, and naming implications).

Next steps. During future meetings, the working group will further discuss identified options as well as develop case studies for additional identified fundamental change concepts (e.g., five-year eligibility, NIL, governance structure redesign). 

Interpretations and Legislation Committee, June 17
Transfer eligibility and the proposed Division I eligibility model. The committee reviewed the proposed new Division I eligibility model, its regulatory impact for Division III regarding transfer student-athletes and discussed how to address this impact. The committee is recommending that Management Council issue an interpretation clarifying that if a student-athlete transfers to Division III from a division/association that doesn't recognize the use of a season then Division III season of participation standards shall apply to participation at those divisions/associations as a means of measuring those seasons. The Management Council will act during its July meeting.

Pre-enrollment amateurism review. The committee reviewed recent Division I changes regarding pre-enrollment prize money, professional drafts and use of agents and discussed what if any changes should be considered by Division III. The committee is recommending Management Council take the following actions during its July meeting.

• Prize Money: Adopt noncontroversial legislation to allow prize money for team competitions and prize money for individuals at an invite only event. 
• Professional Draft: Make a modification of wording to clarify its legislative language. 
• Use of Agents: Recommend convention legislation to allow for the use of agents.

Convention Business Session review. The committee is recommending the Management Council adopt a process to allow a ‘consent agenda’ for some convention proposals to streamline the voting at the Division III Business Session. The council will act during its July meeting.

Transfer portal. The committee reviewed and provided feedback regarding the proposed transfer portal educational module. 

Convention Planning Subcommittee, June 18
2027 Convention schedule. The subcommittee reviewed the proposed schedule for the Division II and III annual convention and will report out to the Management Council for consideration at its July meeting.

Division III 2027 Convention educational sessions The subcommittee is recommending the following Division III education sessions for the 2027 NCAA Convention for the Division III Management Council to consider at its July meeting: Beyond ChatGPT Basics, Developing and Sustaining a Healthy Department and Team Culture, and Building the Leadership Pipeline. 

Division III 2027 Convention Issues Forum. The subcommittee began to discuss the format and topics for the Division III Issues Forum. Initial topics discussed include the work from DIII Analysis Working Group and the Name, Image, and Likeness Working Group. 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Subcommittee, June 18
Opportunity programs. The subcommittee reviewed the Division III 2026 programs (e.g., Student Immersion Program, LGBTQ Awards, and Institute for Administrative Advancement) and discussed the program impacts. The subcommittee also received an update on the Division III Opportunity grants history.

Presidents Council Futures Subcommittee, June 23
Division III Analysis. The subcommittee received an overview of the ongoing Division III Analysis and provided feedback on the identified tensions and in particular, the tension surrounding governance and oversight, to the working group. 

Campus senior leadership initiative. The subcommittee will recommend that the Presidents Council support this new initiative to better engage and educate campus senior leaders (i.e., presidents/chancellors and Athletics Direct Reports). The Presidents Council will act during its August meeting.

Joint presidential session. The subcommittee provided feedback on the proposed agenda, supporting research/data and identified higher education themes. The feedback will be shared with the Presidents Council during its Aug. meeting. 

Strategic Planning and Finance Committee, June 23
Division III Analysis. Similar to the PAG and PC Futures Subcommittee, the committee received an update on the Division III Analysis and provided feedback to the working group.

FY27 and FY28 budget planning. The committee forwarded its final FY27 and FY28 budget recommendations to the councils to consider and approve during their summer meetings. The division’s new budget cycle begins on Sept. 1.

Strategic plans. The committee reviewed the outcomes of this year’s strategic plan and forwarded the FY27 plan to the councils to approve during their summer meetings.

Membership Committee, June 24-25
Review of annual reports. The committee approved the annual reports from Carlow University, Penn State Brandywine, Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte, and Regent University. The institutions will advance in the provisional membership process.

2026 Regional Rules Seminar. The committee reviewed a report of participant numbers, satisfaction with Bylaw 20.8.4.16, and participant feedback. 

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Upcoming Meetings and Anticipated Discussions. 

There are no meetings in the coming two weeks.

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Reminders. 

NCAA.org is Getting a Refresh. Over the past year, NCAA communications has been working to reimagine NCAA.org with a focus on creating a more intuitive, user-friendly experience for all audiences including student-athletes, membership, media and the general public. As part of this effort, we have streamlined site navigation, consolidated content, enhanced search functionality and updated page designs to make information easier to find, understand and maintain. The new site is built around a clearer content strategy, helping users quickly access the resources and information most important to them. While the overall look has been modernized, communications worked closely with Division III staff to ensure its members still have one primary destination that houses information on DIII committees, legislation and policy, academics, infractions process, and membership resources. The updated NCAA.org is scheduled to launch on Monday, July 6.