This entry was written by David Pickle, the NCAA's Managing Director of Publishing.

I don't claim to be an expert on Division III governance, but I'm better informed today than I was before thanks to a series of "white papers" that have been developed to address the most important matters facing the division.

In retrospect, the Association may have acted out of sequence in 1997 when it vested each division with more autonomy through its membership restructuring process. Certainly Divisions I, II and III all possessed philosophy statements at the time, and they all had distinct membership requirements, as they do now. But none of them really had a plan for how they would define, promote and maintain their particular segment of college sports. Each division was loaded with autonomy, but long-term divisional direction was often unclear.

Now, both Divisions II and III have taken important steps to define what it means to be classified as one of their members - Division II through its strategic-positioning process and Division III through awareness gained from a difficult examination of membership structure.

Without comprehensive plans that focus on all elements of membership, Divisions II and III have been inaccurately defined through the years. Division II schools often were confused with smaller Division I programs, and they were too commonly assumed to be programs seeking to attain Division I status. These days, Division II members seem to be, as one athletics director said, "more comfortable in their own skin." It is, without doubt, the result of Division II's research-driving planning process.

As for Division III, outsiders have usually considered it to be the polar opposite of large Division I programs. Of course, Division III deserves credit for what it is and not for what it isn't, and that's why these white papers are so important. They push Division III down a road where members and prospective members will be able to make more informed decisions about whether they belong - or don't belong.

Helping institutions make proper classification decisions is among the Association's most important functions. Hats off to Division III for its thoughtful, comprehensive study.