INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. ? The NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification
announced decisions Tuesday concerning the certification status of 37
Division I member institutions that have undergone the Association’s
second cycle of athletics certification, and the University of Texas at
San Antonio was one of 35 institutions nationwide to receive
certification.
The purpose of athletics certification is to ensure integrity in the
institution’s athletics program and to assist institutions in improving
their athletics departments. NCAA legislation mandating athletics
certification was adopted in 1993.
The certification process, which involves a self-study led by an
institution’s president or chancellor, includes a review of these
primary components: governance and commitment to rules compliance;
academic integrity; equity; and student-athlete well-being.
A designation of certified means that an institution operates its
athletics program in substantial conformity with operating principles
adopted by the Division I membership.
The following 35 institutions were certified:
? University of Arizona
? Austin Peay State University
? University of California, Irvine
? Chicago State University
? The Citadel
? University of Connecticut
? Duquesne University
? Florida A&M University
? Georgia Institute of Technology
? Georgia State University
? University of Houston
? McNeese State University
? Morgan State University
? University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)
? Nicholls State University
? Pennsylvania State University
? Pepperdine University
? Purdue University
? Robert Morris University
? Sacred Heart University
? St. Peter’s College
? University of South Florida
? Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
? University of Oklahoma
? University of Texas at Arlington
? University of Texas at Austin
? University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)
? University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)
? University of Toledo
? Utah State University
? Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
? Western Michigan University
? University of Wisconsin, Green Bay
? Wofford College
? Xavier University
In addition, two Division I institutions have been certified with conditions:
? Hampton University
? New Mexico State University
This classification means that the institution is considered to be
operating its athletics program in substantial conformity with
operating principles adopted by the NCAA’s Division I membership.
However, problems identified during the course of the institution’s
self-study and the peer-review team’s evaluation were considered
serious enough by the Committee on Athletics Certification to cause it
to withhold full certification until those problems have been
corrected. The NCAA does not divulge specific information related to an
institution’s self-study or peer-review visit or specific information
concerning the conditions set forth for certification.
The second round of athletics certifications is being completed on a
10-year cycle rather than the five-year cycle used during the initial
certification process. All 326 active Division I members participate in
the certification process.
The Division I Committee on Athletics Certification preliminarily
reviews an institution’s certification materials and provides a list of
issues identified during the evaluation. The university then hosts a
visit by peer reviewers who file a report regarding the institution’s
resolution of those issues before a final certification decision is
rendered. An institution’s failure to satisfactorily respond to the
committee may negatively impact certification status.
The certification process is separate from the NCAA’s enforcement
program, which investigates allegations of rules violations by NCAA
member institutions. A decision of certified does not exempt an
institution from concurrent or subsequent enforcement proceedings.
The NCAA Committee on Infractions may ask the Committee on Athletics
Certification to review an institution’s certification status as a
result of the completed infractions case.
The members of the Committee on Athletics Certification are: Robert
Bernardi, Nicholls State University; McKinley Boston Jr., New Mexico
State University; Wheeler Brown, North Carolina A&T State
University; Rita Hartung Cheng, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee;
Casey Comoroski, Missouri State University; Beatrice Crane Banford,
Marshall University; Amy Folan, University of Texas at Austin; Judy
Genshaft, University of South Florida; Joanne Glasser, Bradley
University; Nathan Hatch (chair), Wake Forest University; Brian
Linnane, Loyola College (Maryland); M. Dianne Murphy, Columbia
University-Barnard College; Gloria Nevarez, University of Oklahoma;
Sheila Patterson, Cleveland State University; Donald Pope-Davis,
University of Notre Dame; Allison Rich, California State University,
Fullerton; Christopher Ritrievi, University of Utah; and Jon
Steinbrecher, Ohio Valley Conference.