INDIANAPOLIS --- The NCAA Division II Community Advisory Group has released its Community Engagement Report, which is available to all Division II members and was endorsed by the Presidents Council and Management Council in January. The report is designed to assist those institutions that wish to heighten their level of involvement in the community, as well as provide a mechanism to shine a light on those Division II programs currently engaged in their communities.

The Community Engagement Report is the latest step in ongoing Division II strategic positioning platform efforts, which defines the attributes that distinguish Division II schools based on findings from a comprehensive study of the division’s members. It was found during this comprehensive study that community engagement programming is a key part of the student-athlete’s development and overall experience on a Division II campus and community engagement should be a priority for the division. The platform provides an opportunity for the division to deliberately focus efforts on initiatives that represent core member values, including community engagement.

The authoring NCAA Division II Community Advisory Group was formed spring 2006 by the Division II Presidents Council to assist in developing community engagement initiatives and concepts for member schools, as well as reviewing NCAA legislation to remove any restrictions to community engagement activities. The advisory group is comprised of Division II presidents and chancellors, athletic directors, faculty, commissioners, student-athletes and under the guidance of Rich Luker, chief strategy officer of Relay Sponsorship & Event Marketing.

“The Presidents Council and Community Advisory Group is committed to sharing the countless Division II success stories where athletics has helped connect or engage campuses with local communities,” said Charles Ambrose, chair of the NCAA Division II Presidents Council and president of Pfeiffer University. “Many Division II institutions have longstanding commitments to community engagement, and we want to continue to celebrate those schools that are doing this activity well and also assist those Division II schools that wish to enhance their effort.”

The advisory group addresses several issues as a part of the report, including recommended roles and responsibilities throughout a member school’s various departments and offices, how communities can be defined, and recommended next steps to enhance or develop a community engagement strategy, among others.

In addition to the report, the Community Advisory Group has developed several initiatives to further community engagement efforts at each campus. These include collecting and sharing community engagement ideas that work through an online toolkit, encouraging cross-campus alliances that create coordinated community relations with other university departments, offering annual workshops each spring to train Division II administrators on community engagement strategies, as well as pilot testing a full community engagement program at five institutions through the Division II membership.

The division also recently passed an important legislative change during the January 2007 NCAA Convention which removed potential legislative or compliance barriers when staging community events that involve student-athletes.

“Division II schools have a long-standing history of connecting their communities to campus events and these efforts are a key component to the overall experience and development of student-athletes,” said Mike Racy, NCAA vice president of Division II governance. “These strong relationships between the campuses, the student-athletes and the greater community benefit everyone involved. We know from talking to our members that great things are already occurring across the country on Division II campuses and we hope that the tools we are offering to members help demonstrate that much more is possible.”

The Community Advisory Group includes Rich Luker, group chair and chief strategy officer for Relay Sponsorship and Event Marketing; Charles Ambrose, chair of the NCAA Division II Presidents Council and president of Pfeiffer University; Anita Barker, director of athletics, California State University – Chico; Dave Brunk, commissioner, Northeast-10 Conference; Clint Bryant, director of athletics, Augusta State University; Tony Capon, faculty athletic representative, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown; Jon Carey, director of athletics, Western Oregon University; Mike Covone, director of athletics, Barry University; Carey Demos, student-athlete, Bentley College; Brenda Edmond-Square, director of athletics, Clark Atlanta University; Earl Edwards, director of athletics; University of California, San Diego; Paul Engelmann, faculty athletics representative, University of Central Missouri; Margaret Mary Fitzpatrick, president, St. Thomas Aquinas College; Dianthia Ford-Kee, associate director of athletics and instructor, Shaw University; Jim Johnson, director of athletics; Texas A&M University-Commerce; John P. Keating, chancellor, University of Wisconsin, Parkside; Michael Marcil, commissioner, Sunshine State Conference; David Riggins, director of athletics, Mars Hill College; Suzanne Sanregret, director of athletics, Michigan Technological University; Joel R. Smith, commissioner, Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference; Karen Stromme, senior woman administrator, University of Minnesota Duluth; Sue Willey, director of athletics, University of Indianapolis; Dave Williams, director of athletics, University of Wisconsin, Parkside; and Jill Willson, director of athletics, Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

NCAA Division II is one of the three membership divisions at the National Collegiate Athletic Association, a volunteer organization comprising more than 1,200 institutions, conferences and affiliated organizations. Division II is a group of institutions and conferences that serve more than 75,000 student-athletes nationwide, including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The emphasis for the student-athlete experience in Division II is a comprehensive program of learning and development. The Division II approach provides growth opportunities through academic achievement, learning in high-level athletic competition and the development of societal attitudes in service to the community. The balance and integration of these different areas of learning provide Division II student-athletes with a path to graduation while cultivating a variety of skills and knowledge for life ahead.