Fresno State Athletics
NCAA ANNOUNCES ATHLETICS CERTIFICATION DECISIONS
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May 14, 1999
OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS -
The NCAA Committee on Athletics Certification announced decisions today concerning the certification status of 14 NCAA division 1 member institutions.
Fourteen institutions were certified, including the two committee reclassified from certified with conditions to fully certified.
Those institutions receiving a designation of certified were:
University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
California State University, Fresno
East Tennessee State University
Eastern Washington University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Grambling State University
Hampton University
Jacksonville University
Mississippi State University
University of Oregon
Princeton University
Western Michigan University
University of Wisconsin, Green Bay
Xavier University
Two of the institutions, East Tennessee State and Mississippi State, were reclassified from certified with conditions to fully certified. These colleges and universities completed a year-long certification process, which all 310 Division I members will undergo by 2000. Two hundred sixty institutions have now received certification status decisions. The certification programs purpose is to ensure integrity in the institutions athletics operations and to assist athletics departments in improving their program. Legislation mandating athletics certification was adopted by a vote of all Division I members at the 1993 NCAA Convention as a key part of the associations reform agenda.
A designation of certified means that an institution operates its athletics program in substantial conformity with operating principles adopted by the Division I membership.
A designation of certified with conditions means that a college or university generally operates its athletics program in substantial conformity with the Division I operating principles but problems identified were serious enough that full certification is withheld until those problems have been resolved.
A designation of not certified means that the institution is not operating in substantial conformity with the Division I operating principles. Problems identified were considered by the committee to be very serious or pervasive.
If an institution is given the certification status of certified with conditions or not certified, action must be taken by the institution in a specified period of time before its certification status can be changed. If it fails to make an effective effort to correct the problems within the time frame set by the committee, the institution may be placed in a restricted membership category for a year. If problems remain unresolved at the end of that year, the committee may reclassify the institution as a corresponding member and no longer an active member of the NCAA.
An institution can request, within 15 days after the date of the public release of the certification decision, a hearing before the Committee on Athletics Certification. If it is still not satisfied, the institution may appeal to the Division I Management Council.
The certification process, led by the schools chief executive officer on each of the campuses, included members of the university/college faculty and staff. In addition to these members, athletics department personnel also served on the committee and subcommittees responsible for the self-study. This provided an opportunity for other members of the campus community to learn about and to evaluate the athletics program.
Certification examines the athletics departments governance and commitment to rules compliance, academic and fiscal integrity, and commitment to equity. The self-study committee on each campus analyzed these four areas and submitted a report.
After the institution submitted its self-study report, a peer group of administrators from other NCAA member institutions visited each campus and interviewed various institutional personnel. The peer group then reported back to the NCAA Committee on Athletics Certification, which rendered the final decision.
The certification process is separate from the NCAAs enforcement program, which investigates allegations that member institutions have violated NCAA rules. A decision of certified does not exempt an institution from concurrent or subsequent enforcement proceedings. The NCAA Committee on Infractions can ask the Committee on
Athletics Certification to review an institutions certification status as a result of the completed infractions case.
The members of the Committee on Athletics Certification are: R. Daniel Beebe, Ohio Valley Conference; Alan B. Chaves, Long Island University-Brooklyn Campus; Robert A. Chernak, George Washington University; Joseph Crowley, University of Nevada; Paul T. Dee, University of Miami (Florida); Hallie E. Gregory, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Kathleen Hallock, Colonial Athletic Association; Jerry Kingston, Arizona State University; Chris Monasch, America East Conference; Annette OConner, La Salle University; Garnett Purnell, Morgan State; Marcia L. Saneholtz, Washington State University; Andrea Seger, Ball State University; James E Walker, (chair) Middle Tennessee State University; and Brenda Weare, Conference USA.