BENEFITS OF DIVISION II MEMBERSHIP

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BENEFITS OF DIVISION II MEMBERSHIP TALKING POINTS FOR COACHES Division II is a collection of more than 300 NCAA colleges and universities that provide thousands of student-athletes the opportunity to

1 BENEFITS OF DIVISION II MEMBERSHIP TALKING POINTS FOR COACHES Division II is a collection of more than 300 NCAA colleges and universities that provide thousands of student-athletes the opportunity to earn athletics scholarships and compete at a high level while excelling in the classroom and fully engaging in the broader campus experience. This booklet is designed to help coaches tout the benefits of Division II to prospects, parents, campus personnel and community stakeholders. For more information about Division II, visit

Characteristics of Division II institutions Division II spans from New England to Hawaii, from Florida to Alaska, from Texas to Minnesota and from the Carolinas to California.

Before then, NCAA schools were classified as either university or college to distinguish between the larger and smaller athletics programs.

2 Characteristics of Division II institutions Division II spans from New England to Hawaii, from Florida to Alaska, from Texas to Minnesota and from the Carolinas to California. Division II was created in 1973 when the NCAA voted to establish three divisions for athletics competition. Before then, NCAA schools were classified as either university or college to distinguish between the larger and smaller athletics programs. The creation of Division II gave those programs that wanted to keep their athletics budgets in good proportion to the total institutional budget a place to compete. Division II believes in a balanced approach that integrates athletics into the college experience and allows students to focus fully on their academic pursuits and participate in other campus and community activities. QUICK FACTS 308 Active Members 24 Active Conferences 1:8.3 Championships participation ratio 455 Average number of student-athletes at schools with football (281 men, 174 women) 296 Average number of student-athletes at schools without football (151 men, 145 women) MEN (44%) 517,153 Total undergraduate enrollment (13%) 68,355 Student-athletes 7.2 Sports-sponsorship average WOMEN (56%) 670,568 Total undergraduate enrollment (7%) 49,556 Student-athletes 8.4 Sports-sponsorship average x12 = Division II championships for men x13 = Division II championships for women DID YOU KNOW? In a recent survey of current Division II athletes, 95 percent of them said they would recommend a Division II experience to a prospective student. A similar HOW DIVISION II BREAKS DOWN Type of School % public City (inside an urbanized area or inside a principal city) 2.6% 8 institutions with more than 15,000 students 9.1% 28 institutions with 7,500-14,999 students 36.7% 113 institutions with 2,500-7,499 students 51.6% 159 institutions with fewer than 2,500 students percentage (93 percent) of athletes 10 years removed from their DII athletics experience said they would recommend Division II to a prospect. That represents an ongoing and lasting impact! 38% 10% Enrollment at Division II Active Members 48 % Rural (census-defined rural territory) Town (territory inside an urban cluster) Suburb (territory outside principal city/inside urbanized area) 52% 52private The most balanced ratio among the three divisions 9% HBCUs 13% Hispanic Serving Institutions (both higher than either of the other two divisions) Median Cost of Attendance DI DII DIII $40,427 $34,981 $46,054 30% 25% Location 5% 40% Undergraduate Majors Majority art and science Majority professions Balanced art and science and professions

Division II offers high-level athletics competition Coaches have found success with prospective athletes by touting the plentiful opportunities in Division II of becoming an All-American and

3 Division II offers high-level athletics competition Coaches have found success with prospective athletes by touting the plentiful opportunities in Division II of becoming an All-American and competing for a national title. Division II s partial scholarship model allows coaches to offer athletics-based aid like Division I schools do, while also granting the prospective athlete access to all the academic and need-based aid prospects would find at Division III colleges. Coaches also gain traction pointing out the fact that Division II athletics are a more affordable entertainment option. The games are played in a more intimate setting; the fans are right there, and after the game, the families come down to the field or onto the court. One coach described it this way: The Division II atmosphere is not such a business, but more of a community environment. Division II athletes receive ample national exposure, including 22 regular-season and postseason football games, 36 regular-season men s and women s basketball games, six nationally televised postseason basketball games and 10 regularseason games in other sports. Nearly all other championships are streamed live on NCAA.com. People often underestimate the quality of Division II competition, but they change their minds quickly when they watch us play. Our stadiums might not be as large as some other schools, but our talent is. Joe Reich, Head Football Coach, Wingate University

Division II means access to NCAA championships Division II sponsors and fully funds 25 national championships 12 in men s sports and 13 in women s sports that annually give the nearly 14,000

4 Division II means access to NCAA championships Division II sponsors and fully funds 25 national championships 12 in men s sports and 13 in women s sports that annually give the nearly 14,000 student-athletes who participate in them the experience of a lifetime. Of the three divisions, Division II provides its athletes with the most access to championships competition (one championships opportunity for every 8.3 athletes in highly sponsored sports such as basketball, volleyball and track the ratio is even higher in sports like lacrosse and field hockey). Most Division II championships have large brackets, which provides several berths for each of the division s eight competition regions. Division II is the only NCAA division that conducts National Championships Festivals, Olympic-style events in which a number of national championships are held at a single site over a period of several days. The ability to say to our recruits that the opportunity to compete for an NCAA championship is a legitimate option has enabled us to sway them toward our program. Barbara Stevens, Head Women s Basketball Coach, Bentley University

Division II means academic excellence Division II s academic philosophy calls for a comprehensive program of learning and development in a personal setting.

5 Division II means academic excellence Division II s academic philosophy calls for a comprehensive program of learning and development in a personal setting. Graduation rates indicates the model s success, as student-athletes graduate at rates about 6 percentage points higher than their student body counterparts. Also, Division II established an Academic Success Rate in 2006, which, unlike the federal graduation rate, measures graduation outcomes for athletes who are not receiving athletically related financial aid (it also includes transfers and mid-year enrollees). DIVISION II GRADUATION RATES ( COHORTS) Category Student body Federal rate Student-athlete Federal rate ASR Division II overall 49% 55% 72% Division II men 45% 48% 64% Division II women 53% 65% 85% We have a lot of outstanding student-athletes who care about academics. That s why we recruited them. We re going to do whatever we can to get them all together for practice without sacrificing class time. We want to win games, but the focus is always on academics first. Lane Lord, Head Women s Basketball Coach, Pittsburg State University DID YOU KNOW? Division II colleges and universities accommodate more first-generation students than any other division. Among a recent sample of approximately 20,000 college athletes, 16 percent of Divisions I and III reported being first-generation college students, while 24 percent of Division II student-athletes reported first-generation status.

Division II means achieving balance Division II shapes student-athletes who graduate with the skills and knowledge to be productive citizens.

They are able to have a much more well-rounded experience, because their seasons don t last all year long.

because they ll have time to focus on their academic pursuits, their grades, their internships, and whatever else it takes to prepare themselves for life after graduation.

community members, and develops more of a shared civic experience. Community engagement also strengthens the bond among teammates and fosters individual and personal growth.

6 Division II means achieving balance Division II shapes student-athletes who graduate with the skills and knowledge to be productive citizens. Division II students are able to play sports, be integrated in campus life, do well in the classroom and graduate with distinction. They are able to have a much more well-rounded experience, because their seasons don t last all year long. Division II students have an excellent opportunity to be highly skilled and highly decorated athletes, but the balanced approach allows them to become marketable in their career because they ll have time to focus on their academic pursuits, their grades, their internships, and whatever else it takes to prepare themselves for life after graduation. Division II athletics programs actively engage with their communities, which helps drive attendance at athletics contests, fosters relationships between student-athletes and community members, and develops more of a shared civic experience. Community engagement also strengthens the bond among teammates and fosters individual and personal growth. Not one thing in what we do focuses on winning or championships it all focuses on the players, their experiences on and off the field and their journeys to be selfless together. That fabric of who we are and what makes us what we are is the reason why and how we win championships. Shelley Behrens, Head Field Hockey Coach, Millersville University of Pennsylvania

I coach in Division II not somewhere else because I live for that one kid who comes back and says I made a difference to him or her as an individual instead of expressing thanks for winning a

I don t coach for the wins I don t think any of us do of course we all want to win, but winning in and of itself is not what drives our desire to coach.

7 I coach in Division II not somewhere else because I live for that one kid who comes back and says I made a difference to him or her as an individual instead of expressing thanks for winning a championship or some other athletics-related accomplishment. I don t coach for the wins I don t think any of us do of course we all want to win, but winning in and of itself is not what drives our desire to coach. We certainly don t do it in Division II to earn accolades from thousands and thousands of fans, or to earn big monetary bonuses from our bosses. What matters is to realize the difference we make in young people s lives. Chris Catanach, Head Women s Volleyball Coach, University of Tampa Division II s commitment: Make It Yours Division II student-athletes have a stronger voice than ever before. They serve on NCAA committees within the governance structure, and the national Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee votes on legislation at the annual NCAA Convention. The new Make It Yours brand enhancement offers Division II studentathletes a rallying cry to celebrate their unique athletics experiences. In a recent survey of current Division II athletes, 95 percent of them said they would recommend a Division II experience to a prospective student. A similar percentage (93 percent) of athletes 10 years removed from their DII athletics experience said they would recommend Division II to a prospect. That represents an ongoing and lasting impact! WHAT IS IT THAT WE RE MAKING OURS? It s making graduation a priority. It s about earning scholarship dollars for your athletic ability and competing for national championships. It s making athletics participation truly part of the college experience rather than just one aspect of it. It s making lifelong friends at a campus whose size affords a more intimate setting. It s the university president seeing students on campus and being able to call them by name and ask how things are going. It s making the academic experience more personal. It s about professors, coaches and staff caring for you as a student. It s about an experience in which you can be an active participant. It s about a campus that is tight-knit enough to respond to individual student needs. It s about having coaches who help athletes develop their resumes as much as their athletics skills. It s about a custom-fit approach to athletics and education rather than a one-size-fits-all.

What coaches are saying about Division II A selling point not only to prospects but also to their parents is that Division II student-athletes graduate with a resume in hand.

along in acclimating to the workforce and being highly valued by prospective employers.

8 What coaches are saying about Division II A selling point not only to prospects but also to their parents is that Division II student-athletes graduate with a resume in hand. Because our life in the balance approach affords such a breadth of experiences in addition to participating in championship-level athletics, our kids graduate as leaders who are that much further along in acclimating to the workforce and being highly valued by prospective employers. One of the advantages in Division II is that it s under the radar enough to actually help your ability to make good decisions. I haven t met a highlevel coach in my sport yet who hasn t said, Man, I wish I had your job. Being under the radar may be a bad thing if you have a big ego, but in Division II, you re not basing your decisions in how you coach or how you can improve your chances of winning. You usually make better decisions accordingly. We in Division II work to overcome the perception that because we are so focused on balance that we re somehow not as competitive or accomplished athletically as other schools. Even as coaches, there can be a misperception from our peers in other divisions that we re in Division II because we have to be and not because we choose to be. It s the people that make Division II special, and the values we live by and the words we use to describe those values could and should be applied in all of college sports, not just in Division II. I love the competition in Division II, and we should never sell ourselves short in that regard. The power to choose is an awesome thing, and our student-athletes made the conscious decision to select our institutions. What a tribute that is, and what an advantage that gives us as coaches. In the high-stakes world of recruiting, you often see the entitlement attitude emerge from some of the big-time schools that might react to that choice as, How dare you not choose us how could you possibly choose a Division II school? And you see the response in that student-athlete s eyes Why? Let me show you why. As coaches, we need to learn how to promote what Division II has to offer. There are a lot of prospective student-athletes who would attract interest from the top Division I schools but who are not looking for that kind of experience. They want the benefits of a small college atmosphere. Learn the Division II attributes and how to use them to your advantage.

BENEFITS OF DIVISION II MEMBERSHIP

BENEFITS OF DIVISION II MEMBERSHIP TALKING POINTS FOR PRESIDENTS AND CHANCELLORS Division II is a collection of more than 300 NCAA colleges and universities that provide thousands of student-athletes the