Belmont University has successfully completed the NCAA certification process, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced today.
The NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification announced that Belmont has completed the Association’s second cycle of athletics certification, the purpose of which is to ensure integrity in the institution’s athletics program and to assist institutions in improving their athletics departments.
“This process affirms the strength of Belmont’s athletic program and its integration throughout the academy,” says Dr. Robert Fisher, president of Belmont University. “I would like to thank the steering committee for their exceptional work and the entire athletics department for continuing to make our program exemplary.”
The certification process is a self-study led by an institution’s chief executive officer and includes a review of these primary components: governance and commitment to rules compliance; academic integrity; fiscal integrity; equity; welfare; and sportsmanship. The NCAA says a designation of certified means that an institution operates its athletics program in substantial conformity with operating principles adopted by the Division I membership.
“I’m so proud of our athletics department,” says Belmont University Director of Athletics Mike Strickland. “This certification is a reflection of all the hard work and dedication of our coaches, staff and student-athletes. Also, I would like to thank the steering committee for all their hard work during the process as well as the other segments of campus that were involved. The NCAA wants this to be an encompassing process and I think it will benefit both athletics and the university as a whole.”
NCAA legislation mandating athletics certification was adopted in 1993.
The NCAA’s 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 325 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 has a period of approximately one year to respond in writing to the 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 NCAA’s Committee on Athletics Certification are: Rich Ensor, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference; John Hardt, Bucknell University; Susan Hofacre, Robert Morris University; Pat Howey, University of North Carolina, Wilmington; Jerry Kingston, Arizona State University; Leo Lambert, Elon University; Colleen Lim, Yale University; Jamie McCloskey, University of Florida; Fred Mims, University of Iowa; Rance Pugmire, Utah State University; Kim Record, Florida State University; Paul Risser (chair), Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education; Dawn Rogers, Xavier University; Mary Ann Rohleder, Associate Director of Athletics, Indiana University, Bloomington; and Greg Sankey, Southeastern Conference.
