2019 NCAA Convention

The Council spent much of the meeting addressing legislative issues that will receive membership consideration in January.  For a chart detailing the 2019 legislative proposals, including the proposal numbers and titles, intent statements and rationale statements, click here. In the coming days, you will receive the Official Convention Notice, which will contain the specific legislation we will vote on in Orlando. I want to update you regarding three of those proposals.   

Adding Independent Members on the NCAA Board of Governors

In August, the Board of Governors sponsored a proposal to add five independent members who are not affiliated with any member school or conference to the Board of Governors. This proposal requires that all three divisions vote together to adopt such a change. This Association-wide vote will occur at the Convention.

The Board of Governors Executive Committee met earlier this month to begin drafting the process to add these five independent members should the proposal pass in January.  Some initial thoughts on the process include:

• The Executive Committee will serve as the Nominating Committee and will forward nominations to be approved by the full Board.  All three divisions have representation on the Executive Committee.
• The Committee will utilize the services of a third-party search firm to assist with the nominations process.  The Committee developed preliminary guidance for the firm including a flow chart to begin to outline additional detail on the process and responsible party.
• Once approved through the nomination process, the new independent members will receive a robust orientation regarding duties, responsibilities and expectations for their service.  Leadership from each division will oversee the orientation and explain the philosophical, governance and financial priorities of each division.

I encourage you to also review the key points document  and the FAQ for additional details regarding this proposal. More information will be provided once the search firm is retained, at which time members can provide any feedback to them.

The full Board of Governors supports adding independent members to the Board.  I also recently wrote an article for Champion Magazine outlining the benefits of this proposal.  I believe these members will add transparency and objectivity to the Board's business. I have confidence in the nomination process and that nominees will be thoroughly vetted and considered for their stature and expertise; and because the independent members will not have a direct connection to an NCAA school or conference, all members will benefit from having outside voices. 

Each active member institution and conference present for the Association-wide Business Session on Thursday, January 24, from 5:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. will be permitted to register one vote on this proposal via an electronic voting unit. I encourage all members to be present for this important session.

Convention Schedule

I encourage your attendance at the 2019 NCAA Convention. Click here for the NCAA meeting schedule, and use following link to access the Division III president/chancellor delegates schedule. 

Division III Presidential Legislation

The Council opposed a membership Proposal, No. 2019-3 which, if adopted, would add three additional days for acclimatization to the preseason practice period in soccer and field hockey, among other modifications to current rules. Despite the sponsors' belief that there is not enough preseason practice time to prepare student-athletes for competition, the Council ultimately opposed the proposal upon the recommendation of the Committee on Competitive Safeguards, which determined that no data exist to support such a change. In addition, the Council endorsed an amendment to a Proposal No. 2019-2, which would allow the first permissible practice date in football to occur 23 days before a school's first regular-season contest. The amendment (No. 2019-2-1) applies to teams whose first game falls on the first Thursday of the regular season. 

Straw Poll on Proposed Legislation-Association-Wide and Presidential Package

On November 26, you will receive an electronic straw poll seeking feedback on the Association-wide proposal (BOG Proposal No. 2019-1) and the Division III presidential grouping (DIII Proposal Nos. 2 through 4).  Please complete the straw poll by Monday, December 10.  The Council will use your feedback to help identify additional outreach and education that will benefit the Division III membership.

Basketball Joint Championships Move Forward

The Council approved the recommendation that men's and women's basketball each hold one joint championship with their counterparts in Divisions I and II by 2024. The Council found that the opportunities to give Division III student-athletes a more robust championship experience and to promote the Division III identity justify the estimated additional cost of $250,000 per championship. 

LGBTQ Resources

The Division III LGBTQ Working Group recently mailed to each campus and conference the LGBTQ Nondiscrimination Policy Guide and an LGBTQ-inclusion promotion kit, which includes a banner, posters and stickers with the ONETEAM logo, to help establish and maintain welcoming environments across Division III. I encourage you to take advantage of this important and helpful information. 

Council Appointments and Future Leadership

The Council appointed of Sue Henderson, New Jersey City University, as chair and Tori Murden McClure, Spalding University, as vice chair, effective at the conclusion of the 2019 Convention. The Council also approved the following new members to Presidents Council, subject to ratification by the division's presidents and chancellors: Richard Dunsworth, University of the Ozarks; Bill Tsutsui, Hendrix College; and Troy Hammond, North Central College, (all also effective at the end of the Convention) and Troy Paino, University of Mary Washington, effective in July.

Esports

As esports programs rapidly grow on campuses nation-wide, the Board of Governors has requested that the NCAA continue to explore and define the current collegiate esports landscape. Data and research will help identify necessary information such as participation levels, relevant games, leadership structure, and potential areas of growth.  These, in turn, will assist the NCAA in continuing its evaluation on how to best support its members as they pursue and adopt esports programs.