This update is a tool to enhance communication between the NCAA national office and the Division III membership, with distribution to athletics directors, senior woman administrators, faculty athletics representatives, presidents, national SAAC, conference commissioners and the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators listserv. We encourage athletics directors to share this communication with their athletics department members. Please email DIIIGovernance@ncaa.org to include an item or share comments, and remember to check out the Division III governance
homepage for the latest news and information.
Click here for a chart that details NCAA Division III grants and programs, including application timelines and benefits, for the 2025-26 academic year.
Pathway Program
The NCAA has selected participants for the 2025-26 Pathway Program, the yearlong initiative designed to prepare senior-level athletics administrators for the next career step as directors of athletics or conference commissioners. Congratulations to Sam Atkinson (Gallaudet), Bethany Marren (Rochester Institute of Technology), Deidre Pierson (Hamilton), Adam Skaggs (Suffolk) and Richard Warren (Hanover). The
Pathway Program is an intensive experiential learning opportunity for selected participants who work at an NCAA school or conference in Divisions I, II or III. During the year, the participants will be paired with and have regularly scheduled meetings with a campus or conference mentor. The mentors include directors of athletics, conference commissioners and school presidents, along with others in leadership roles.
Division III FAR Institute
The NCAA Division III governance staff is excited to host the 2025 Division III Faculty Athletics Representatives Institute. Division III will provide funding for 30 FARs to attend this division-specific institute on Nov. 18-19 in Indianapolis, which is being held in conjunction with the FARA annual meeting
, Nov. 20-22. The NCAA funds travel, lodging and registration for the annual meeting.
The application is available on the NCAA Program Hub, as “2025 Division III FAR Institute,” from July 1 to Aug. 15, 5 p.m. Eastern. Each active and provisional institution and conference office may nominate a faculty athletics representative on the NCAA Program Hub. Eligible nominators include commissioners, presidents/chancellors, athletics direct reports, directors of athletics and senior woman administrators. Questions can be directed to Eric Hartung.
SWA Program
The NCAA Division III governance staff is excited to host the eighth annual Division III Senior Woman Administrator Program. Division III will provide funding for 30 senior woman administrators (SWAs) to attend a division-specific program Oct. 10-12, before the 2025 Women Leaders in Sports convention, Oct. 12-14 in Kansas City, Missouri.
The application process is now available on the NCAA Program Hub, as “2025 Division III SWA Program at Women Leaders.” Nomination and application materials must be submitted by 5 p.m. Eastern time July 18. Questions can be directed to Ali Spungen.
Sexual Violence Attestation
The NCAA’s Campus Sexual Violence Policy requires all member schools to meet the policy’s six provisions each academic year (Aug. 1-July 31). In the fall, each school’s president/chancellor, director of athletics and campus Title IX coordinator must attest to their compliance with the policy for the previous academic year.
The attestation period for the 2024-25 academic year will be open in September through the attestation deadline of Fri., Nov. 7. Additional communications regarding the attestation process will be delivered in the coming weeks. For an FAQ, click here. Please make sure your school’s information in the NCAA Directory is up to date to ensure communication is delivered to the appropriate people.
Division III Webinars
Webinars will be from 1:30 to 2 p.m. Eastern time the first Tuesday of the month on the following dates and topics:
Aug. 12 – Recap of Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Management Council and Presidents Council meetings.
Sept. 2 – NCAA Transfer Portal.
Oct. 7 – Review of Division III Noncontroversial Legislation Recent Approvals.
All past webinar PowerPoints are on the Division III webinar webpage.
Voluntary Activities and Summer Activities. As your sport seasons end and you enter outside of the declared playing season, all activities involving student-athletes must be voluntary. Per Bylaw 17.1.5, student-athletes and members of the coaching staff may not engage in athletically related activities during this time.
For an activity to be classified as voluntary, it must meet the following criteria, per Bylaw 17.02.14:
No reporting: There should be no reporting back to the head coach or any staff about who attended the voluntary activities.
Student-athlete Initiation: The activity must be initiated and requested solely by the student-athlete.
No tracking: There should be no tracking of attendance or participation in the activity to report back to the coaching staff or other student-athletes.
No repercussions: There should be no penalties or repercussions for student-athletes who choose not to participate.
Outside of the season legislation still applies during the summer, but there are some additional aspects that come into play during the summer when you have student-athletes who are still on campus or live locally.
Summer workouts: During the summer vacation period, student-athletes may not participate in any athletically related activities with the coaching staff. However, certified strength and conditioning coaches may design specific workout programs for student-athletes, provided such workouts are voluntary and conducted at the request of the student-athlete.
Facility reservation: Certified strength and conditioning coaches may not reserve athletics facilities over the summer, as they are precluded from conducting workouts during the summer period. They can reserve facilities and conduct workouts during the academic year. (Bylaw 17.02.1.1.1.4.1)
Student-athlete only facilities: Student-athletes may access student-athlete-only weight rooms for voluntary workouts at any time. This use is considered a permissible expense incidental to athletics participation, and institutions are not required to charge a fee for this access. Strength and conditioning coaches may oversee a student-athlete-only facility over the summer period if they do not provide evaluation or direction to the student-athlete. Legislatively, during the summer strength and conditioning coaches are permitted only to observe voluntary workouts for safety purposes. They are precluded from conducting workouts over the summer (see January 14, 2016, educational column; Q9).
NCAA Division III Rules Test
Just a friendly reminder that, beginning July 21, the NCAA Division III Rules Test will be offline as the NCAA Learning Portal undergoes annual maintenance and updates. While offline, users will be unable to access the application and any data stored within it. The 2025-26 Rules Test will be available Aug. 1. Please direct any questions to d3coachesexam@ncaa.org.
DEADLINE:Division III Legislative Process
The deadline for 2026 NCAA Convention membership-sponsored proposals is 5 p.m. Eastern time today, July 1. Proposals submitted by this deadline will receive the benefit of the comment period in LSDBi, where institutions and conferences can publicly offer feedback on all membership and governance-sponsored proposals. If your proposal is not submitted by then, you still have until 5 p.m. Eastern time on Sept. 15 to submit proposals for the 2026 NCAA Convention. Proposals submitted between 5 p.m. July 1 and 5 p.m. Sept. 15 must be submitted with a co-sponsorship threshold of at least four multisport conferences or at least 20 institutions representing at least four multisport conferences. Any questions regarding legislative procedures, the amendment-to-amendment or the resolution processes should be referred to Jeff Myers (
jmyers@ncaa.org) or Corey Berg (cberg@ncaa.org).
ATHLETICS COMMUNICATION UPDATES
Share Your Stories
Division III is looking to feature membership stories on social media and through NCAA.com. To share stories for consideration, please email d3identity@ncaa.org.
Media Coordination/Statistics Staff Contacts
The current contacts at the NCAA for media coordination and statistics can be found here.
PLAYING RULES AND OVERSIGHT PANEL UPDATES
Softball
The Softball Rules Committee met June 16-18 for its annual meeting. The committee proposed several new rules, including one to modify the illegally batted ball rule. The two-week comment period will begin the week of July 7.
Women's Lacrosse
The NCAA Women's Lacrosse Rules Committee recommended rules changes to simplify the penalty structure and improve the pace of play, beginning with the 2025-26 academic year.
Men's Wrestling
The Men’s Wrestling Rules Committee and Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved 11 major rules changes for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons. The rules changes are available here under Updates.
Men's Basketball
The 2025-26 men’s basketball rules changes can be found here.
Women's Basketball
The 2025-26 women’s basketball rules changes can be found here.
A deep divide exists between some people who support equal rights for the LGBTQ community and those who oppose these social and legal changes, in part because of deeply held religious beliefs. Not surprisingly, this dynamic extends to intercollegiate athletics, specifically between the LGBTQ community and some faith-based institutions that are members of the NCAA in all three divisions. The differences of belief between faith communities and the LGBTQ community can pose a challenge to athletics programs that are committed to the inclusion and well-being of all student-athletes and coaches.
To address this issue in the spirit of inclusion, over the past decade, the NCAA has invited students and administrators from a variety of institutions, including faith-based ones, to explore how to bridge these gaps and find common ground. The goal: establish inclusive and respectful athletics environments for participants of all sexual orientations, gender identities and faith perspectives.
Appropriately titled “Common Ground,” the on-going discussion has created a dialogue between athletics and university officials by offering practical solutions and initiatives on how to break down barriers of fear, lack of trust, misunderstanding and judgment between these communities and individuals. Click here for more information.
Share the Special Olympics activities taking place on your campus or with your conference by filling out the Special Olympics reporting form here. You can also email stories about activities to d3specialolympics@ncaa.org.
Gambling and Sports Betting Harm Reduction Resource
Click here for a document that discusses harm reduction strategies in the context of gambling and sports betting in collegiate sports and provides relevant resources. The information provided results from discussions of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports.
NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook Now Available
The updated NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook, 26th edition, is now available. The Sports Medicine Handbook provides considerations to schools as they meet their constitutional obligation to protect, support and enhance the mental and physical health, safety and performance of student-athletes.
The 26th edition includes a refreshed, modern approach that provides considerations for developing policies and procedures for the administration of athletics health care, including background and contextual information on existing guidance and direction to available resources. For additional information on the Sports Medicine Handbook or mental and physical health, safety or performance resources, visit NCAA.org/ssi.
Nominations for the 2025 Impact Award
, formerly Today’s Top 10, are being accepted for college athletes who completed their athletics eligibility in the 2024-25 academic year. This award celebrates the very best of college athletics by honoring one exceptional male and one exceptional female senior student-athlete from each division. These distinguished honorees, selected from the prior academic year, exemplify the highest standards of athletic excellence, academic achievement, and service to their campuses and communities. Winners will be honored at the 2026 NCAA Convention in January in the Washington, D.C. area. Award nominations are submitted through the NCAA Program Hub
and are due by 5 p.m. Eastern time Monday, July 7. Contact Melody Lawrence with any questions.
Student-Athlete Leadership Forum Facilitator
Applications for serving as a facilitator at the 2025 NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum Facilitator are officially open. If you want to lead, inspire, and empower the next generation of student-athlete leaders, submit your application. You must have completed the NCAA Effective Facilitator Workshop to be eligible, and the deadline to apply is Monday, July 7. The forum will occur Nov. 20-23 in Dallas, with facilitators expected to be available a day before and a day after the event. Visit our website to learn more about this opportunity!
Student-Athlete Leadership Forum
The NCAA is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Student-Athlete Leadership Forum, Nov. 20-23 in Dallas. The forum is a transformative experience for student-athletes. Nominations and completed applications are due by 5 p.m. Eastern time July 4 via the NCAA Program Hub
. This forum offers unparalleled opportunities for attendees to grow personally and professionally, fostering leadership skills and networking with peers. Those from institutions from Area 4 (California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin) are eligible to attend.
Faculty Athletics Representatives Advisory Group, June 10.
Presidents Advisory Group, June 10.
Interpretations and Legislation Committee, June 12.
Championships Committee, June 16-17.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee, June 16.
Convention Planning Subcommittee, June 25.
Membership Committee, June 25-26.
Presidents Council Futures Subcommittee, June 26.
Division III Commissioners Association/NADIIIAA Executive Committees
Indianapolis
Aug. 21
Membership Committee
Virtual
Sept. 8
Presidents Council Futures Subcommittee
Virtual
Sept. 8-9
Championships Committee
Indianapolis
Sept. 9
FAR Advisory Group
Virtual
Sept. 10
Nominating Committee
Virtual
Sept. 10
Playing Rules Oversight Panel
Virtual
Sept. 16
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee
Virtual
Sept. 16-17
Interpretations and Legislation Committee
Indianapolis
Sept. 18
Membership Committee
Virtual
This email was sent to NCAA Division III presidents and chancellors, athletics direct reports, directors of athletics, faculty athletics representatives, senior woman administrators, sports information directors, directors of compliance, commissioners, assistant/associate commissioners, national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, provisional, reclassifying and exploratory members based on contact information in the NCAA Directory.
National Collegiate Athletic Association, 700 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204 US
