Division II schools believe that actively engaging their surrounding communities in campus life is a pillar of the division’s athletics experience.
 
For Division II, community engagement is about building lasting relationships. This approach encourages athletics programs to become members of their communities. The Division II brand of engagement aims to enhance the community. The goal of this concerted effort is that communities, in turn, support schools where effective outreach has occurred because they feel greater ownership.
 
Division II also emphasizes engagement with military groups, as more than half of Division II colleges and universities are located within 50 miles of a military installation or base. Many others have a connection or partnership with the National Guard or other military branches or have an active ROTC on campus. Almost all Division II schools have students who are either actively serving or are in the reserves.
 
While Division II schools engage with their communities locally, the division also recognizes the need to contribute on a national scale. There’s no better example of that commitment than Division II’s long-standing relationships with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Team IMPACT, which focus on helping children with life-threatening illnesses.
 
The Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which is the primary student group that contributes to policymaking for the division, established the Make-A-Wish partnership in 2003. Now one of the foundation’s longest-running partnerships, the alliance with Division II has raised more than $6.5 million toward granting the wishes of children with critical illnesses.
 
Almost 760 “wishes” have been granted through Division II contributions. These wishes can serve as a game changer in children’s fights against their illnesses, helping them feel better, and in some cases even get better.
 
SAAC established the division’s Team IMPACT partnership in 2015. The goal of the partnership is to connect Division II teams with children facing serious and chronic illnesses, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes. Over 180 Division II schools have partnered with Team IMPACT, and over 515 teams have been matched with a Team IMPACT teammate.