On behalf of the NCAA Board of Governors, we wish to express our deep appreciation for your engagement with the Constitution Committee thus far. We recognize the numerous demands facing each of you every day and we are grateful for your attention to the crucial issues facing college sports. We are writing to share an update on the Constitution Committee and to outline additional steps that will be required as we continue our work in transforming NCAA governance.
As background, in a July 30 letter, the Board of Governors called for a Special Convention and established a Constitution Committee, charged with preparing the materials for this Convention, including a draft of a new constitution. Twenty-eight members were appointed to the committee, representing all three divisions. Robert M. Gates, former Secretary of Defense, former Texas A&M president and an independent Board of Governors member is serving as chair.
The goal of a new constitution is to provide greater autonomy for each division to unlock the ability to better support the needs of our student-athletes. The Constitution Committee has been meeting since Aug. 17 and has engaged closely with the membership during this time. A survey was sent to the membership in mid-August and the feedback received is informing the deliberations of the committee.
The Special Convention will be held virtually on Nov. 15. In the week prior to the convention, a draft of a proposed new constitution will be shared with the membership for review and consideration. The November convention will provide an opportunity to share your feedback and to hear from others in the membership about their views on the draft.
Following this convention, the committee will revise concepts as needed, provide another opportunity for membership feedback, and complete its work by submitting final recommendations to the Board of Governors by Dec. 15. Following the presentation of this new constitution, members will have opportunities to submit additional changes in accord with the current Association rules. We intend to have membership votes at the NCAA annual meeting in Indianapolis.
As the committee began its work, it became clear that there was more to be done outside of their charge to implement the transformational changes that are needed to improve the Association. This realization can be outlined in a two-step process. The ratification of a new constitution in January is the essential first step in the process of transforming the governance of the NCAA. A new constitution will provide divisions the flexibility they need to act on the second step, which will require that each division review the rules governing the division to ensure that changes are consistent with the principles agreed upon in the new constitution.
This second step will be the responsibility of the governance structures of each division. The Division I Board of Directors will oversee the rewriting of the rules governing Division I and the Division II Presidents Council and the Division III Presidents Council will each have the responsibility for the respective divisions. The work of rewriting rules for each division must be completed by August 2022, in time for the start of the new academic year.
The Board of Governors will be working with the leaders of the respective divisional governing bodies to ensure the processes are in place to engage in the work of rewriting the bylaws and rules in accordance with the new constitution.
This two-step process, first, the ratification of a new constitution in January, and second, the rewriting of the rules for each division by August will enable us to realize the goal of transforming the governance of the NCAA to better serve students.
We hope this update is helpful. On behalf of the Board of Governors, we are profoundly grateful for your engagement in this urgent and important work to transform the Association and we look forward to taking these next steps together.
Sincerely,
Jack DeGioia
Chair of the NCAA Board of Governors
Mark Emmert
NCAA President
This email was sent to NCAA presidents and chancellors, athletics directors, senior compliance administrators, senior woman administrators, faculty athletics representatives and conference commissioners in all three divisions based on contact information in the NCAA Directory; as well as select NCAA staff.
