Dear Cross Country

"You didn’t doubt me at all and offered me a chance to prove myself."

Author

Steve Ulrich
September 01, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

In partnership with

SEPTEMBER 1, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH
No publication covers NCAA Division III better. #whyD3

🔆  Welcome, September. Happy Labor Day!

🗞️ In Today’s Edition. Dear Cross Country. Utica Looking at Possible Elimination of Degrees, Minors. Class of 2026 Already Worried About Job Prospects. One Big Ship.

😃 Find Us on Facebook. Join our D3 community

📖 Subscribe Today. Our free coverage ends today. Our paid subscribers will continue to get D3Playbook delivered every weekday, while our free subscribers will receive access to one edition per week.

TOP STORY

1. Dear Cross Country

by Christian Patzka

“Dear Cross Country,

You weren’t my first sport, as I tried all of the other major sports. I wasn’t any good at them because I was too short, too small, too skinny. It was a good day for me if I wasn’t the last kid picked for a sport in gym class. I can still remember the day at basketball practice when my coach told me to “Go home and eat your Wheaties.”

You didn’t doubt me at all and offered me a chance to prove myself. You gave me better odds of being on a box of Wheaties. You only asked me if I could run and when I said yes, you showed me a new world of opportunity.”

» Course Awareness. Patzka, a graduate of Wisconsin-Whitewater, was named the 2024 USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Year, after winning the DIII national individual title. He was named All-America four times.

» Between The Lines. “You showed me that chances to compete don’t guarantee results. I had to earn the results through the opportunity I was given – every single time. My freshman year of high school, you handed me a varsity spot because one teammate got sick and another one quit. I took that spot and worked my way up to second runner on the team that season at sectionals. I helped our team to state and we finished the best we had in years. Thanks to that spot on the varsity team, you gave me a purpose greater than myself.”

» Reality Check. “Through college, you provided me with the greatest of teammates and friends. You showed me the toughest yet most rewarding moments of my life with them. You made us grow closer through the toughest of workouts, the most brutal of winter training days, the most painful of reps, and yet we all decided each and every practice to show up in all aspects every single day.”

» The Final Word. “You finally showed me what this is all about. It is the hope to keep trying, to keep showing up, and to keep pursuing the dream. I can only hope and pray that you give others that same chance.”

A MESSAGE FROM PACASO

The Key to a $1.3 Trillion Opportunity

A new trend in real estate is making the most expensive properties obtainable. It’s called co-ownership, and it’s revolutionizing the $1.3T vacation home market.

The company leading the trend? Pacaso. Created by the founder behind a $120M prior exit, Pacaso turns underutilized luxury properties into fully-managed assets and makes them accessible to the broadest possible market.

The result? More than $1B in transactions and service fees, 2,000+ happy homeowners, and over $110m in gross profit to date for Pacaso.

With rapid international growth and 41% gross profit growth last year alone, Pacaso is hitting their stride. They even recently reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

The same VCs that backed Uber, eBay, and Venmo also backed Pacaso. Join them as a Pacaso shareholder before the opportunity ends September 18.

Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.

2. Utica University Looking at Eliminating Multiple Degrees, Minors

by Joleen Ferris, WKTV

“Utica University is looking at possibly eliminating several degrees.

It's the second time in their 75-year history they've undergone a comprehensive review of their academic portfolio.

"We would still have 73 degrees at all levels being offered at the university. And, if the deletions do occur, if the eliminations occur, that would be 19 degrees; 73 still here, 19, if all of them are deleted," President Todd Pfannestiel said.

Pfannestiel said that Utica University will also consider faculty eliminations in the future.”

» Quotable. "What worries me the most, is the proposal to remove our entire general education program, without any plan to replace it," said AAUP Utica/AFT 6786 President Dr. Leonore Fleming.

» Worth Noting. “Students currently enrolled in degree programs won't have to change majors; if the proposed degrees are eliminated, it would just mean no future enrollment in those degree programs.”

3. Class of 2026: Already Worried About Jobs After College

by Ashley Mowreader, Inside Higher Ed

“In the face of an economic downturn and a competitive job market, a majority of the Class of 2026 say they’re pessimistic about starting their careers, according to a new survey from Handshake.

Nearly one in five bachelor’s degree seekers said they’re very pessimistic about their next chapter; an additional 42 percent said they’re somewhat pessimistic. The top reasons students cite for their lack of enthusiasm are high competition for jobs, a shortage of available positions and concerns about job security. About half of respondents said generative artificial intelligence is one reason they’re not optimistic about their future careers.”

» Driving The News. “Handshake’s Class of 2026 fall report includes responses from 2,440 bachelor’s degree–seeking students in their senior year, representing 641 unique institutions. Handshake also surveyed 1,042 hiring managers from a variety of industries.”

» Of Note. “More than 80 percent of rising seniors have used generative AI tools, on par with their peers who graduated in 2025. Twenty-four percent say they use generative AI on a daily basis, a slight decrease from the Class of 2025 (27 percent) but significantly higher than their 2024 peers (13 percent).”

4. Lightning Round ⚡️ 

» What’s In A Name. Virginia Wesleyan University President Dr. Scott Miller says despite backlash on the university's decision to rename it Batten University, the new name will stand.

» Volleyball (W). Juniata won its 100th consecutive match, defeating Cortland and UMass Boston over the weekend. The Eagles’ last defeat was on September 17, 2022.

5. Comings and Goings 

6. World’s Largest Cruise Ship

by Kelly Tyko, Axios

“Royal Caribbean's newest mega-ship, the Star of the Seas, is more than the world's largest cruise ship — it's a floating city where a flying DeLorean features in a full-scale Back to the Future musical.

By the numbers: Star weighs in at nearly 249,000 gross tons like the Icon, but the overall length at 364.83 meters — a mere 3 inches longer.

Star has 20 decks with 2,805 staterooms and can carry as many as 7,600 passengers, plus 2,350 crew.

There are 40 bars and restaurants, 10 hot tubs, seven pools and six waterslides — plus a 6-month-old golden retriever named Sailor, the line's second Chief Dog Officer.

📬 Thanks for starting the new month with us.
Please invite your colleagues to sign up for D3Playbook

Copyright © 2025, D3Playbook.com All rights reserved

Reply

or to participate.