Canisius To Study Athletics Program
Year-long, campus-wide initiative is part of NCAA Division I athletics certification program
Buffalo, NY – President Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., announced today that Canisius College will begin a year-long, campus-wide effort to study its athletics program as part of the NCAA Division I athletics certification program. Specific areas the study will cover are academic integrity, governance and commitment to rules compliance, and commitment to gender and diversity and student-athlete well-being.
While academic accreditation is common in colleges and universities, this program focuses solely on certification of athletics programs. Following a two-year pilot project, the NCAA Division I membership overwhelmingly supported the program and its standards at the 1993 NCAA Convention. Canisius College completed its first certification self-study in 1995. At the 1997 convention, the NCAA Division I membership voted to change the frequency of athletics certification from once every five years to once every 10 years. Canisius completed its second certification self-study in 2001. Thus, the current self-study will be the third in the certification process for the college.
The athletics certification program's purpose is to help ensure integrity in the institution's athletics operations. The program opens up athletics to the rest of the university/college community and to the public. Institutions will benefit by increasing campus-wide awareness and knowledge of the athletics program, confirming its strengths and developing plans to improve areas of concern.
The committee responsible for the study will include President Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., Terri L. Mangione, PhD, dean of students and chair of the steering committee, and more than 45 members of the Canisius College community, including board members, faculty, staff, students and alumni. A member of the NCAA membership services staff conducted a one-day orientation videoconference with the committee and its subcommittees on October 14, 2009.
Within each area to be studied by the committee, the program has standards known as operating principles that were adopted by the Association to establish benchmarks by which all Division I members are evaluated.
When Canisius College has concluded its study in April 2010, an external team of reviewers will conduct a three-day evaluation visit on campus in fall 2010. Those reviewers will be peers from other colleges, universities or conference offices. The peer-review team will report to the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification. The Committee on Athletics Certification will then determine the institution's certification status and announce the decision publicly. For institutions that fail to conduct a comprehensive self-study or to correct problems, sanctions could be imposed.
The three options of certification status are: certified, certified with conditions, and not certified. While institutions will have an opportunity to correct deficient areas, those institutions that do not take corrective actions may be ruled ineligible for NCAA championships.
The NCAA is a membership organization of colleges and universities that participates in intercollegiate athletics. The primary purpose of the Association is to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the educational program and the athlete as an integral part of the student body. Activities of the NCAA membership include formulating rules of play for NCAA sports, conducting national championships, adopting and enforcing standards of eligibility, and studying all phases of intercollegiate athletics.
For more information, contact the Office of Public Relations at 716-888-2790 or visit www.canisius.edu/ncaastudy.
Canisius College is one of 28 Jesuit colleges in the nation and the premier private college in Western New York. Canisius prepares leaders – intelligent, caring, faithful individuals – able to pursue and promote excellence in their professions, their communities and their service to humanity.
While academic accreditation is common in colleges and universities, this program focuses solely on certification of athletics programs. Following a two-year pilot project, the NCAA Division I membership overwhelmingly supported the program and its standards at the 1993 NCAA Convention. Canisius College completed its first certification self-study in 1995. At the 1997 convention, the NCAA Division I membership voted to change the frequency of athletics certification from once every five years to once every 10 years. Canisius completed its second certification self-study in 2001. Thus, the current self-study will be the third in the certification process for the college.
The athletics certification program's purpose is to help ensure integrity in the institution's athletics operations. The program opens up athletics to the rest of the university/college community and to the public. Institutions will benefit by increasing campus-wide awareness and knowledge of the athletics program, confirming its strengths and developing plans to improve areas of concern.
The committee responsible for the study will include President Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., Terri L. Mangione, PhD, dean of students and chair of the steering committee, and more than 45 members of the Canisius College community, including board members, faculty, staff, students and alumni. A member of the NCAA membership services staff conducted a one-day orientation videoconference with the committee and its subcommittees on October 14, 2009.
Within each area to be studied by the committee, the program has standards known as operating principles that were adopted by the Association to establish benchmarks by which all Division I members are evaluated.
When Canisius College has concluded its study in April 2010, an external team of reviewers will conduct a three-day evaluation visit on campus in fall 2010. Those reviewers will be peers from other colleges, universities or conference offices. The peer-review team will report to the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification. The Committee on Athletics Certification will then determine the institution's certification status and announce the decision publicly. For institutions that fail to conduct a comprehensive self-study or to correct problems, sanctions could be imposed.
The three options of certification status are: certified, certified with conditions, and not certified. While institutions will have an opportunity to correct deficient areas, those institutions that do not take corrective actions may be ruled ineligible for NCAA championships.
The NCAA is a membership organization of colleges and universities that participates in intercollegiate athletics. The primary purpose of the Association is to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the educational program and the athlete as an integral part of the student body. Activities of the NCAA membership include formulating rules of play for NCAA sports, conducting national championships, adopting and enforcing standards of eligibility, and studying all phases of intercollegiate athletics.
For more information, contact the Office of Public Relations at 716-888-2790 or visit www.canisius.edu/ncaastudy.
Canisius College is one of 28 Jesuit colleges in the nation and the premier private college in Western New York. Canisius prepares leaders – intelligent, caring, faithful individuals – able to pursue and promote excellence in their professions, their communities and their service to humanity.
Date released: 10/16/2009
