TAMPA -- The NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification announced today that the University of South Florida has achieved full certification, along with 34 other Division I institutions.
"I am very proud that our athletic department has received NCAA Certification, “said USF President Judy Genshaft. “This far-reaching assessment of USF Athletics is an endorsement of the very high standards and practices that have been set and achieved by our athletics staff.”
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.
“I am proud of the hard work our Steering Committee and Subcommittee members did to make this self-study a tremendous success,” said Director of Athletics Doug Woolard. “I would like to offer special thanks to Bob Sullins and Tom Miller, Co-Chairs of the Steering Committee, and Amy Haworth, Associate Athletics Director, for providing leadership and guidance through the entire process. I have always known USF Athletics is a special place and this review and certification has given us the opportunity to share that with the broader campus community.”
The NCAA Athletics Certification Self-Study Certification process involves an eighteen month self-study, report, peer evaluation and NCAA committee review with the goal of reviewing the governance, compliance, academic, gender, minority and student-athlete development areas of the USF Athletics Department.
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
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
University of Texas at San Antonio
University of Toledo
Utah State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
Western Michigan University
University of Wisconsin, Green Bay
Wofford College
Xavier University
NCAA legislation mandating athletics certification was adopted in 1993, and the evaluation is intended to ensure athletics programs operate with integrity and to assist institutions in improving their athletics departments.
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.
