The NCAA governance department provides key support to the NCAA's federated governance structure, which includes Divisions I, II and III, as well as Association-wide committees. The department works directly with the presidential bodies and various councils and committees that direct the affairs of each division, including proposing and sponsoring legislation; identifying options and recommendations on relevant policy issues; as well as preparing and distributing meeting agendas, supplements, meeting summaries and minutes.
The Division I governance intern primarily supports the work of Division I committees. The Division II governance intern primarily focuses on the division’s marketing and communications initiatives. The Division III governance intern focuses on supporting the division’s committees, branding, marketing and educational programs. The governance and policy intern will support Association-wide committees, committee administration and the National Letter of Intent and Transfer Portal activities.
They also attend council and committee meetings, engage with committee members and various other constituents within the broader membership, prepare reports and attend and take an active role in the annual NCAA Convention.
Interns who have worked in the governance department have gone on to work in campus compliance, student-athlete development, admissions, fundraising as well as conference offices, coaches' associations, the NCAA national office and professional sports governing bodies.
Check out the job description for the three internship positions within governance here, and the job description for the governance and policy position here.
Key Dates
- Aug. 7, 2023: Application opens (8 a.m. Eastern time)
- Sept. 8, 2023: Application closes (5 p.m. Eastern time)
- Dec. 2023: Candidate selection and notification
- June 17, 2024: The start date for the 2024-25 postgraduate internship cohort (Indianapolis, IN)
Apply:
Intern Perspective
“Working in the governance department has allowed me the opportunity to get a taste of every other department within the NCAA. I’ve been able to obtain a great grasp on how the membership functions from the institutional, conference and national outlook. Being a governance intern helps you truly understand how processes and communication move through the structure from start to finish so that change can be installed within each division.”
“The unique thing about the governance department is that it touches every other department in the NCAA. Therefore, as an intern, it is not uncommon to participate in meetings with members of the championships staff, the AMA staff, the enforcement staff and every department in between. Because of this, when the membership finally votes on legislation, you have a full perspective of the impact that vote will have, not only on the membership, but on the Association as a whole.”
“The opportunity to work with the governance department has been a great experience for me. Working with the different committees composed of representatives from membership institutions, conference offices and the student-athlete body within the legislative process has been eye opening. The amount of work that goes in to ensure a great student-athlete experience is amazing and the governance structure has a large role in that.”
Former Postgraduate Interns
- Ashley Beaton Simpson (2019), Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Success, University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
- Kiana Verdugo (2019), Associate Athletics Director for Operations and Compliance/Senior Woman Administrator, Alma College.
- Dr. Eric Wood (2003), Vice President and Director of Athletics, Louisiana Tech University.
Contact Us
For more information about the postgraduate internship program, please contact us via email at internship@ncaa.org.
