NJCAA Division III Philosophy


NJCAA Division III Philosophy

NJCAA Division III programs place the highest priority on the quality of the overall educational experience and on the completion of all students’ academic endeavors. They seek to establish and maintain an environment in which a student athlete’s activities are conducted as an integral component of the overall educational experience.

To achieve this end, NJCAA Division III programs:

• Shall not award financial assistance to any student on the basis of athletics leadership, ability, participation or performance
• Place special importance on the impact of athletics on a student athletes growth and development
• Primarily focus on intercollegiate athletics as a two-year undergraduate experience
• Encourage the development of sportsmanship and positive societal attitudes in all constituents; including student athletes, coaches and administrative personnel
• Create opportunity by amplifying the number and diversity of sport offerings for students through broad-based intercollegiate athletics programs based on available institutional resources
• Assure that the actions of coaches and administrators exhibit fairness, openness and honesty in relationships with their student athletes; and in responsibilities to their institution
• Assure that student athletes are not treated differently from other members of the student body
• Assure that student-athletes are supported in their efforts to meaningfully participate in nonathletic pursuits to enhance their overall educational experience
• Assure that intercollegiate athletics support the institution’s educational mission by financing, staffing and supporting the programs equitably as other departments in the institution. Further, the administration of an institution’s athletics program (e.g., hiring, compensation, professional development, certification of coaches) should be integrated into the campus culture and educational mission
• Assure that athletics recruitment complies with NJCAA established policies and procedures
• Provide equitable athletics opportunities for males and females and give equal emphasis to men and women’s sports
• Support ethnic and gender diversity for all constituents
• Give primary emphasis to geographical in-season competition and regional championships
• Support student-athletes in their efforts to reach high levels of athletics performance, which may include opportunities for participation in national championships, by providing all teams with adequate facilities, competent coaching and appropriate competitive opportunities
• Nurture a culture that will adapt to the changing needs of our institutions and students that will maximize the student athlete experience academically and athletically; and promote and celebrate their achievements.