The Division I Board of Directors endorsed a plan for action after next month's Special Convention that will allow the division to address its most significant challenges and more effectively meet the needs of current and future student-athletes. The board met virtually Wednesday.
The board also created the Division I Transformation Committee, which will allow the division to act quickly after the 2022 NCAA Convention. A full roster of the committee, co-chaired by Greg Sankey, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, and Julie Cromer, athletics director at Ohio, will be released soon. The work of the Constitution Committee will be reviewed at the Convention and is intended to provide a framework for each division to follow in updating its rules. The action of appointing a committee does not assume adoption of a new constitution in January.
The Constitution Committee has been meeting since August and is expected to recommend changes to the NCAA constitution to transform college sports. As stated earlier this month, the committee intends to ask each division to review its rules to ensure they are aligned with the new principles.
Board members also determined how to approach division-specific parts of the NCAA constitution, which are anticipated to be recommended for removal from the constitution and evaluated for changes after the January convention. These sections include membership requirements, some health and safety provisions and revenue distribution, among others.
The board charged the Transformation Committee with realigning Division I with the principles identified by the Constitution Committee, including what it means to be a Division I member and how the division should be organized, what is the best process for making decision, and how to better meet the needs of and set expectations for student-athletes.
The Transformation Committee is expected to collaborate with the membership and the governance structure, including the Division I Council, to develop recommendations for board action.
"The complexity of issues in Division I requires immediate organization and preparation so there is no lag between the important work of the Constitution Committee and Division I addressing its challenges," said board chair Jere Morehead, president at Georgia. "We envision Division I will begin this work immediately, resulting in a parallel yet cohesive path aligned with the work of the Constitution Committee. The board and presidents will lead this process and will consider any recommendations from the Transformation Committee."
The Constitution Committee's work will provide Division I the opportunity to refocus its commitments and membership requirements to reflect members' belief in several key elements. Those requirements would then be binding on all members. Opportunities to provide feedback and input will be presented over the coming months.
