Actively engaging our surrounding communities in campus life is a pillar of the Division II athletics experience.

For Division II, community engagement is about building lasting relationships.

Our unique approach flips the paradigm by encouraging Division II athletics programs (and their schools in general) to become members of their communities rather than merely asking their communities to support athletics.

The payoff is that communities willingly support colleges and universities where effective outreach has occurred because they feel greater ownership. That translates to a stronger “town/gown” relationship, and greater community attendance at your athletics events!

The military is a key partner that often gets overlooked when it comes to community engagement. More than half of Division II colleges and universities are located within 50 miles of a military installation or base. Many others have a connection or partnership with the National Guard or other military branches, or have an active ROTC on campus. And almost all Division II schools have students who are either actively serving or in the reserves. It only makes sense to partner with military constituencies as an extension of Division II’s community engagement philosophy. This resource helps schools either start or enhance those efforts is a product of the Division II Military Pilot Project Team, Augusta University, the Peach Belt Conference, and Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia.