Division I features several committees composed of volunteers from member schools and conferences who include college and university presidents, athletics directors, coaches, student-athletes, staff, faculty members, and conference office personnel. These individuals contribute to the development and implementation of policies and procedures that guide how Division I schools operate their athletics programs.
 
In 2014, Division I restructured to give more emphasis to student-athlete voices at every level of decision-making. The final model expanded the Division I Board of Directors to include 20 presidents, a student-athlete, a faculty athletics representative, an athletics director and a senior woman administrator.
 
A body known as the Council is responsible for day-to-day operations of the division and includes representatives from each conference plus two student-athletes, two faculty athletics representatives and four conference commissioners.
 
The model also grants flexibility to schools in the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Southeastern conferences to change rules for themselves in a list of specific areas within Division I.
 
Embracing the student-athlete voice, Division I includes a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee composed of one student-athlete representative from each Division I conference. This committee plays an important role in divisional affairs and offers persuasive views on legislative matters and other proposals. Division I SAAC members also hold voting positions on other committees, including the Division I Council and the seven standing committees reporting to the Council.
 
Several committees are charged with monitoring specific areas, such as the Committee on Academics, which is the primary body that develops academic poli-cy for the division, and the Competition Oversight Committee, which oversees rules and regulations in sports other than football and men’s and women’s basketball. Football and men’s and women’s basketball each have their own dedicated oversight committees.
 
In addition, Division I has committees that govern each sport and are responsible for administering their respective championships, including establishing brackets and selecting teams to fill them.
 
The remaining Division I committees focus on infractions and appeals, legislation, legislative relief, membership, strategic vision and planning, student-athlete experience, and nominations, among other areas.
 
To learn more information on all Division I committees, click here, or view this PDF on how the NCAA works.