In preparation for the 2023 NCAA Convention in San Antonio, the Division III Presidents Council supported many of the recommendations made at last week's Management Council meeting. The Presidents Council met for two days this week at the NCAA's national office in Indianapolis.
"As we prepare for the 2023 Convention, the Presidents Council held robust discussions over two days of topics to prepare for the January gathering," said Jim Schmidt, chair of the Presidents Council and chancellor at Wisconsin-Eau Claire. "We hope our guidance on these complex issues will empower the membership to make the best decisions for all institutions and athletic experiences in Division III."
Alternative voting method at convention
The Presidents Council proposed a special rules of order applicable only for the 2023 Division III Business Session at the NCAA Convention. The process, if approved by delegates, will result in establishing the voting order of similar proposals (i.e., playing and practice seasons and council composition) without discussion limitations imposed by the current rules of order. Specifically, the delegates would be able to discuss the merits of the similar proposals followed by a vote to establish the preferred voting order.
The intent of the alternative voting method is to minimize procedural issues during the business session, allow open discussion of generally similar proposals and ensure the opportunity for delegates to vote on their preferred proposal voting order.
Because the Presidents Council supports the concept, membership can approve the alternative method via resolution at the Convention. The Presidents and Management Councils further emphasized the importance of providing clear education regarding the process.
Committee and council composition proposal changes
The Presidents Council approved the Management Council's recommendation for an amendment to the governance-sponsored proposal that would change the composition of the Management and Presidents Councils, establishing that the conference representation requirements would not be satisfied by Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representatives.
The Council also agreed to divide the committee and council portions of the proposal into two distinct proposals. Both councils confirmed that the proposal that addresses the six standing committees should not be further divided, as the intent was to have composition and representation continuity across these committees.
Membership-sponsored proposals
The Presidents Council took official positions on two membership-sponsored legislative proposals.
Because the governance structure has a committee and council composition proposal that was developed based on feedback from the 2022 Division III Membership Survey, the Division III Commissioners Association and the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators, the positions include:
- Opposing a proposal that each Division III multisport conference will have one representative on either the Presidents or Management Councils and that the conference's slot on either will alternate accordingly.
- Opposing amending the composition of the Nominating Committee to include at least one member from each of 10 regions (modeled after the championships regions) to cultivate more committee nominations and appointments representative of the membership.
The council also reviewed and supported a mental health resolution from the Empire 8, Heartland and Allegheny Mountain Conferences. As a key priority of Division III and the NCAA, the mental health resolution aims to establish a hardship waiver process for mental health to be distinguished from a physical injury, including its own waiver criteria, which recognizes the unique circumstances related to mental health conditions.
Graduate, postgraduate student eligibility
Following a request from the Subcommittee for Legislative Relief and a recommendation from Management Council, the Presidents Council eliminated the waiver criteria that a graduate or postbaccalaureate student-athlete must possess a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA to be eligible. The rationale is that the requirement to graduate with a minimum 3.0 GPA is not a proper measure of academic success or aptitude, as Division III institutions offer graduate and postbaccalaureate admission to students with various experiences and academic histories. An arbitrary GPA prohibits non-Division III graduates from having the same opportunities to participate as their Division III peers.
Philosophy Statement Review Working Group's efforts
The Presidents Council reviewed the Division III's philosophy statement, strategic positioning platform and the efforts of the Philosophy Statement Review Working Group to examine whether the current Division III philosophy statement still reflects today's Division III higher education and athletics landscape.
The council reinforced Management Council's position on supporting the initial groupings identified by the working group for reviewing and potentially amending the individual philosophy statements.
A survey of the membership is planned for November to solicit feedback on draft concepts. Survey findings will be presented and additional feedback will be sought at the Division III Issues Forum at the NCAA Convention in January.
New appointments
The council approved two new appointments in Hiram Chodosh, president at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, and Laura Trombley, president at Southwestern (Texas). Both begin four-year terms effective immediately.
Advisory Council wraps up
The Presidents Council formally expressed gratitude for the work of the 29-member Advisory Council and agreed to sunset the group coinciding with the 2023 NCAA Convention. Most of the Advisory Council's work was connected to the Convention, so members thought it was an appropriate time to conclude the group's work. The items listed on the Division III Bylaws, Policies and Initiatives chart that the Advisory Council examined will continue to be a priority of the standing governance committees.
