At its virtual meeting Wednesday, the Division III Presidents Council adopted noncontroversial legislation amending the composition of the group to include two student-athletes from the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
The change was made due to the adoption of the new NCAA constitution that mandates voting representation for student-athletes on the Presidents Council.
The council also received and approved a recommendation from the Division III SAAC on the selection process for a student-athlete who has graduated within the past four years to serve on the Board of Governors. The SAAC executive officers will share the process with the Division III membership.
The two SAAC student-athlete representatives will begin their service with the Presidents Council once the new NCAA constitution becomes effective Aug. 1, 2022.
"Adding these important voices to the Presidents Council enhances student-athlete representation, elevates the student-athlete voice and ensures a meaningful opportunity for dialogue at the highest level of Division III governance," said Troy Hammond, chair of the Presidents Council and president at North Central (Illinois).
The Presidents Council also approved a new process to select its representative to the Board of Governors for a two-year renewable term of service. All eligible members will be able to inform national office staff of their interest by a predetermined date. Ranked-choice voting will be used to select the representative, with participation of all members of the Presidents Council that are present.
Other business
The Presidents Council discussed the existing Division III philosophy statement at the request of the Management Council and the Advisory Council as the division continues to comprehensively review its priorities during the current transformational period. The Presidents Council agreed the review was necessary and tasked the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee to lead it. The committee will develop the review charge and timeline during its June meeting and seek approval of those plans from the Presidents Council during the council's early August meeting. The council noted the importance of engaging the membership in this review.
Additionally, after receiving an update from the Interpretations and Legislative Committee regarding Proposal No. 2022-3 (Only Competition Triggering Use of a Season), the Presidents Council agreed with the committee's decision to not recommend any legislative change until the division's philosophy statement is reviewed.
