KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has unveiled its newest strategic plan, which will continue to guide the league toward greater success over the next three years. The new plan, titled Advancing Our ‘A’ Game in the Heart of the Heartland, addresses the Association’s updated core values and priorities, and includes four main areas of emphasis while highlighting the membership’s geographical home in America’s heartland.
 
“It’s an exciting day for the MIAA!” expressed MIAA Commissioner Mike Racy. “The new strategic plan speaks to the heart and compassion that MIAA members have for student-athletes’ well-being and the ‘WILL’ our institutions have to help shape the future for education-based intercollegiate athletics! Higher education and college sports continue to change at a rapid pace, and this action plan positions the MIAA for enduring success.”
 
Founded in 1912, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) is one of the nation’s oldest and most successful athletic conferences in the NCAA. A charter member of Division II, MIAA teams and student-athletes have won 65 NCAA Division II team national championships and over 400 individual national titles. The conference, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, currently has 14 full-time member institutions that reach across five states within America’s heartland.
 
Competitive excellence remains central to defining the MIAA, but it is not the Association’s only measure of success. The MIAA is equally committed to supporting the physical and mental well-being of student-athletes, creating opportunities for career and personal development, and cultivating a culture of respect, belonging, and integrity.
 
The 2026-2029 strategic plan introduces the Association’s new core values — Student First, Championship Culture, Forward Thinking and Integrity — and revolves around the following emphasis areas, which outline the Association’s WILL to be excellent in everything.

• Win:  Emphasizing excellence and championship success as the ultimate competitive goals for MIAA institutions.
• Innovate:  Developing new resources and partnerships to enhance the MIAA student-athlete experience and to improve MIAA athletic operations.
• Learn:  Influencing, developing, and celebrating the educational opportunities provided through MIAA athletics participation.
• Lead:  Engaging with MIAA and NCAA stakeholders to help shape the future of intercollegiate athletics.

MIAA student-athletes, coaches, administrators, faculty members and the conference office staff continue to bring their “A Game” in the classroom, in competition and in the community. Grounded in the MIAA’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s WE CARE initiative, and committed to our core values, the MIAA remains focused on Wellness, Education, Compassion, Athletics, Respect and Engagement.
 
As intercollegiate athletics continues to evolve, the MIAA is committed not simply to adapt to change, but to help shape what comes next. The new strategic plan reflects the Association’s WILL to win, innovate, learn, and lead, strengthening the student-athlete experience while advancing Division II and positioning the MIAA to remain the preeminent NCAA conference in the country for generations to come.
 
College Sports Solutions assisted the Association with the development of the MIAA’s 2026-2029 strategic plan. College Sports Solutions is a leading full-service and integrated provider of collegiate athletic consulting, strategies and solutions to universities, intercollegiate conferences, and collegiate organizations.
 
“We at College Sports Solutions are proud to have assisted Commissioner Racy, his team, and the entire MIAA membership with its strategic plan for the next three years,” said College Sports Solutions President and CEO, Jeff Schemmel. “In this constantly evolving college athletics environment, we believe the MIAA has formulated thoughtful, aggressive, innovative and nimble plans for its future.”