Small College Conversations: NCAA VP of Division III Louise McCleary

NCAA Vice President of Division III Louise McCleary joins College.town's Anthony Grassi at the 2026 NCAA Convention ahead of the DIII Business Session to discuss the state of the division, key legislative proposals and the division's upcoming analysis. McCleary also dives into streaming, NIL and more.

00:00 - Introduction
00:31 - What is the state of Division III?
02:14 - How does the redshirt proposal (that ultimately did not pass) align with the DIII Philosophy Statement, which is primarily a four-year undergraduate experience?
04:15 - How challenging is it to philosophy 
06:44 - How do you feel these membership proposals test the guardrails of the aforementioned philosophy statement?
08:42 - With the division's upcoming analysis, how fast can or should that analysis occur? And how far will it reach?
10:22 - Will the analysis be limited to what DIII is versus what the future may hold?
11:32 - How many AQs is too many AQs?
14:12 - How do you view the balance between access and a national tournament?
15:24 - What should the role of NIL be in Division III?
17:00 - Should there be collectives in DIII?
18:28 - Will NIL create more of a split between the haves and have-nots in DIII?
20:15 - What has the impact of the division's Mental Health First Aid partnership been?
22:55 - What was the tangible benefit of having all championships not included in another agreement on NCAA.com?
24:37 - Do you have a concern about a potential paywall?