Communication
Best Practices
A GUIDE FOR CHANCELLORS,
PRESIDENTS AND COMMISSIONERS
CONFERENCE ONBOARDING
Commissioners should schedule a meeting to
onboard new chancellors and presidents, highlighting
the following topics:
• Conference history.
• Philosophy and mission statement.
• Conference governance and reporting structures.
• Budget overview and presidential role.
o Conference dues.
o NCAA conference grant funding.
• Strategic plan.
• Meeting dates and expectations.
• Conference membership requirements.
• Roles of and interactions with athletics
department and key campus stakeholders.
• Conference-sponsored sports and championships.
• NCAA, Division III and conference topics, including:
o Academics.
o Championships.
o Compliance and bylaws.
o Diversity and inclusion.
o Health and safety.
o Sportsmanship.
In preparation for the onboarding meeting,
chancellors and presidents may want to
familiarize themselves with the following areas
of their athletics program:
• Philosophy and mission statement.
• Budget.
• Strategic plan.
• Role of athletics in enrollment management.
• Roles and effectiveness of athletics department
and key campus stakeholders.
• Recruiting strategies.
• Staffing.
And, also be familiar with key campus initiatives:
• Academics.
• Diversity and inclusion.
• Financial aid policies.
• Health, safety and overall student-athlete
well-being.
• Performance expectations for student-athletes.
CONFERENCE INVOLVEMENT
To evaluate communications and foster
engagement, the commissioner and
chancellors and presidents should frequently
discuss the following:
• Conference budget.
• NCAA conference grant funding requirements
and expectations.
• Strategic plan.
• Governance and reporting structures.
• Roles and expectations for athletics
department and key campus stakeholders.
• NCAA, Division III and conference issues,
including:
o Academics.
o Championships.
o Compliance and bylaws.
o Diversity and inclusion.
o Health and safety.
o Sponsored sports.
o Sportsmanship.
In addition to engaging with the commissioner
on a regular basis, chancellors and presidents
should also:
• Discuss key athletics topics with their athletics
direct report, director of athletics and faculty
athletics representative.
• Be an active voice in conference substructures.
NCAA INVOLVEMENT
The NCAA national office administers rules;
organizes national championships; provides
educational services; manages financial systems
for the membership; gives direction on health and
safety; and conducts research into the experiences
of those involved in college sports.
Serving on national committees is an important role
for chancellors and presidents in representing
both their school and conference.
Commissioners should make chancellors and
presidents aware of committee openings and
encourage involvement on the following NCAA
legislative governance committees:
• Association-wide.
o Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA).
o Honors Committee.
o Minority Opportunities and Interests
Committee (MOIC).
• Division III.
o Presidents Council.
o Presidents Advisory Group.
o Management Council.
o Financial Aid Committee.
o Infractions Appeals Committee.
o Membership Committee.
o Nominating Committee.
o Strategic Planning and Finance Committee.
Other nonlegislative opportunities available for
chancellors and presidents include topical
working groups.
Because Division III operates under a “one
institution, one vote” legislative model, all
chancellors and presidents are encouraged
to attend the annual NCAA Convention, where
legislation is discussed and voted on.
COMMUNICATIONS
Correspondence regarding key campus,
conference, Division III and NCAA topics should
be sent from commissioners to chancellors and
presidents on a regular basis. To ensure nothing of
importance is missed, the following best practices
may prove beneficial.
Commissioners should highlight issues of the
utmost importance on a quarterly basis and provide
direction on what to do with the information. This
communication could include:
• Summarizing and emphasizing key information and
action items.
• Discussing different types of NCAA communications
chancellors and presidents can expect. For example:
o NCAA updates:
• Division III monthly newsletter.
• Presidents Council quarterly update.
o Reports:
• Annual Division III report.
• Committee meetings reports.
• Meeting summaries.
o Event information:
• NCAA Convention.
• National and conference events.
o Division III manual.
o Guides and best practices.
• Regularly communicate with and engage athletics
department and key campus stakeholders.
Chancellors and presidents are encouraged to
share information, resources and best practices
learned in NCAA committee meetings or working
groups with peer chancellors and presidents from
their conference.
Key campus stakeholders to consider in all
conversations include:
•
Athletics direct report.
•
Directors of athletics.
•
Faculty athletics representatives.
•
Senior woman administrators.
•
Coaches.
•
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
•
Athletic trainers.
•
Directors of athletics communications.
Data from a recent survey shows that,
on average, Division III conference
commissioners meet with their
presidents twice in-person and once
via teleconference on an annual basis.
At least 30 Division III chancellors
and presidents serve on committees
at the national level annually.
Every Division III conference has a
representative on either the NCAA
Presidents Council, Management
Council, or the Presidents Advisory Group.
NCAA is a trademark of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
The Division III philosophy states an expectation that “institutional
presidents and chancellors have the ultimate responsibility and nal
authority for the conduct of the intercollegiate athletics program at the
institutional, conference and national governance levels.”
Directed at conference commissioners and chancellors/presidents,
this guide aims to:
• Enhance communication between those two groups.
• Encourage informed decision-making at the national, conference and
institutional levels of Division III.
• Define the role each group plays within their conference and the
NCAA governance structure.
Through our united commitment to academics, fairness and well-being,
we can create a pathway that leads to a lifetime of opportunity for
student-athletes.
