With Division III in a budget planning year, the Division III Strategic Planning and Finance Committee reviewed and forwarded for approval the 2021-24 budget at its meeting Tuesday.
The Management and Presidents Councils will have final approval during their summer meetings on July 19 and Aug. 4, respectively.
The budget, effective Sept. 1, allocates 75% to fund the division's 28 national championships. Specific budget priorities for the budget triennium cycle include bracket expansions for field hockey, women's lacrosse and women's golf. The budget also accounts for the new regional realignment in effect Sept. 1.
Other initiatives and programs, such as the strategic initiatives conference grant program and diversity grants, will stay at current funding levels. The committee also endorsed a strategic plan that aligns the division's strategic priorities with the approved funding level.
"The recommendations for this three-year budget cycle provide our division with a fiscally responsible budget as we continue to move past the impact of the pandemic," said Troy Hammond, chair of the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee and president of North Central (Illinois).
Strategic Positioning Platform
The committee also approved the Division III Strategic Positioning Platform document. For the past year, the Division III Strategic Positioning Platform working group, consisting of committee members, has reviewed the document to identify necessary adjustments and continue to align the platform with the Division III Philosophy Statement and Association-wide strategic priorities. If approved by the Management Council and Presidents Council at their summer meetings, Division III anticipates releasing the platform to the membership in August.