INDIANAPOLIS --- The NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification announced decisions today concerning the certification status of 27 Division I member institutions that have undergone the Association’s second cycle of athletics 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 19 universities were certified:

• University of New Orleans
• University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
• University of Central Florida
• University of Memphis
• Mississippi State University
• Siena College
• State University of New York at Binghamton
• University of Washington
• Wichita State University
• Coppin State University
• Davidson College
• East Tennessee State University
• Florida Atlantic University
• College of the Holy Cross
• University of Idaho
• Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick
• Texas Christian University
• Wake Forest University
• Winthrop University

In addition, eight Division I institutions have been certified with conditions:

• Central Michigan University
• University of Maine, Orono
• Marshall University
• Mount St. Mary’s University
• University of North Carolina, Charlotte
• University of North Texas
• Gardner-Webb University
• Valparaiso 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 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: McKinley Boston, New Mexico State University; Shonna Brown, Mid-American Conference; Rita Hartung Cheng, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Rich Ensor, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference; Kevin Hatcher, Colgate University; Pat Howey, University of North Carolina, Wilmington; Gerald M. Lage, Oklahoma State University; Leo Lambert (chair), Elon University; Fred Mims, University of Iowa; Gloria Nevarez, West Coast Conference; Frank Pergolizzi, Southeastern Louisiana University; Mary Ann Rohleder, Indiana University, Bloomington; Greg Sankey, Southeastern Conference; and John Steinbrecher, Ohio Valley Conference.