Future of Division III

[Knightstalker]

Houghton College in southwestern New York.

Press Release  (Italics added)

...

Application For NCAA D-III Membership
The addition of these two programs will assist Houghton College in meeting the standards of sports offerings for NCAA D-III membership – a move that is in the exploratory stages of consideration. The determining factors for Houghton deciding to apply for NCAA D-III membership include the college's ability to identify a conference that fits it academically, geographically and aligns with the college's athletic emphasis on the development of character and leadership. Alignment with a well-respected NCAA D-III conference within the college's geographic area would provide Houghton student-athletes with schedules that minimize travel and missed class time.

"The addition of baseball and softball at Houghton not only provide more alternatives for both athletes and spectators but also enhance the contribution of athletics to our overall educational environment," remarks Shirley A. Mullen, President of Houghton College. "Athletics contributes to Houghton's educational goals of developing the whole person, pursuing excellence, cultivating self discipline and team building, creating and sustaining community, and stewarding one's gifts and abilities to serve others." Mullen states that, "Adding these sports is part of our preparation to seriously explore a move from NAIA to NCAA D-III assuming we are able to find a conference in DIII that shares our commitment to an athletic program embedded within a larger educational philosophy of academic rigor and character development."

No football.  They offer Field Hockey.  Adding Baseball and Softball.


NEAC, AMCC or Empire 8

Which one will it be?

Houghton also has Cross Country and Track and Field for both men and women.  My nephew is the new Head Coach there.  I will try to find out something from him about this.  He is hard to track down right now during the season.

[Knightstalker]

Don't be surprised if you see another announcement from another NY - AMC member as well about a change fore the future.  The AMC is having a conference meeting this next week and I'm sure some of this will come out during the meetings.

Logically, the next domino to fall should be Roberts Wesleyan, Houghton's long-time rival and fellow member of the imploding AMC. As Houghton goes, Roberts Wesleyan goes. RWC, which is located in the Rochester suburbs, already has the requisite twelve varsity programs, and it has participated in what's now called the Wendy's College Classic since 1966-67 -- a fact that's significant because it's the only NAIA school in a tournament that has otherwise consisted entirely of D3 schools since D3 inaugurated men's basketball competition in 1975-75.

The AMC, with its preponderance of Ohio and Pennsylvania schools, has never seemed like a logical home for either Houghton or Roberts Wesleyan. Given that D3 schools are thick on the ground in upstate New York -- private as well as public -- and the fact that the size, mission, and profile of the two schools are very D3ish, it makes perfect sense for them to move over to D3. In fact, I wonder why they didn't do so years ago.

Houghton liked being in the NAIA.  The coaches liked the compliance rules which are not nearly as complex as the NCAA rules.  The rules are also easier on giving scholarships to foreign athletes.  Houghton had many Kenyans on the Xcountry and track teams while my nephew was running for them.  They were also able to get most of the athletes through school without having to go into debt with loans.  They would use a mix of scholarships and financial aid for as many students as possible.

[radiodavel]

Roberts Wesleyan has decided not to go D3...

[roocru]

University of Dallas to join SCAC!!

http://www.scacsports.com/news/dallas_joins_scac

[radiodavel]

U of Dallas joins Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference...

interesting move, a lot of travel in this conf...good school, wonder how the D3 Independents will do after they leave that group that they helped to form,,,it was a good program for D3 independents..numbers are down as well...

www.theseniorreports.com/naiadiv3.htm

[Ralph Turner]

U of Dallas joins Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference...

interesting move, a lot of travel in this conf...good school, wonder how the D3 Independents will do after they leave that group that they helped to form,,,it was a good program for D3 independents..numbers are down as well...

www.theseniorreports.com/naiadiv3.htm

This was the lead story on D3hoops.com yesterday.

http://www.d3hoops.com/

You basically "cut-and-pasted" the SCAC press release.

We have had similar discussions about the UDallas on the Future of D-III boards for 10 years, but especially since DePauw announced its move to the NCAC.

UDallas has been preparing for this over the last decade...

adding Phi Beta Kappa chapter,
adding some strategic sports like women's lacrosse,
filling the "Colorado College slot" as the Austin College travel partner in the Women's Soccer schedule.  (CC's women's soccer is D-1.)

[Just Bill]

That was on the front page of D3Hoops and reported in this thread yesterday afternoon. Thanks for catching up.  

[radiodavel]

Ralph and Bill...did not copy and paste my posting....wanted to hear comments on what folks thought about it, but no one had started a thread...a lot of folks got the release on the announcement...

I worked with U Dallas when I was the Commissioner of the USCAA...they had just left their conf and were looking for ways to give their teams post-season tournaments.  They hosted the first-ever championships of the USCAA as all of the sports competed for the titles...

to say they have been heading this way for 10 years, is not what I have seen from them.  There concerns were about travel time and missing classes.  This conf is tough to do that...they just joined the SLIAC for several smaller sports, so that will change with all of this.  This conf could see more changes, especially with the economy the way it is...DePauw being just one to do it so far...

(UD AD) Dick Stockbrine was the leader to form the Assoc of D3 Independents and has served as President of the group.  He is a big reason they received bids, you need someone like him to make this work, he was committed to the process.  I would hate to see it die, not saying it will, but they are losing a guy who had a passion for it...

[Pat Coleman]

U of Dallas joins Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference...

interesting move, a lot of travel in this conf...good school, wonder how the D3 Independents will do after they leave that group that they helped to form,,,it was a good program for D3 independents..numbers are down as well...

www.theseniorreports.com/naiadiv3.htm

This was the lead story on D3hoops.com yesterday.

http://www.d3hoops.com/

You basically "cut-and-pasted" the SCAC press release.

And on the other hand, we added a little context for our readership.

[Jonny Utah]

Saw this article about Title 9 in the Boston Globe today:

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/articles/2010/09/24/college_dropouts_increase/?page=3

[Ralph Turner]

Ralph and Bill...did not copy and paste my posting....wanted to hear comments on what folks thought about it, but no one had started a thread...a lot of folks got the release on the announcement...

I worked with U Dallas when I was the Commissioner of the USCAA...they had just left their conf and were looking for ways to give their teams post-season tournaments.  They hosted the first-ever championships of the USCAA as all of the sports competed for the titles...

to say they have been heading this way for 10 years, is not what I have seen from them.  There concerns were about travel time and missing classes.  This conf is tough to do that...they just joined the SLIAC for several smaller sports, so that will change with all of this.  This conf could see more changes, especially with the economy the way it is...DePauw being just one to do it so far...

(UD AD) Dick Stockbrine was the leader to form the Assoc of D3 Independents and has served as President of the group.  He is a big reason they received bids, you need someone like him to make this work, he was committed to the process.  I would hate to see it die, not saying it will, but they are losing a guy who had a passion for it...

I think that the key individual in all this has been AD Dick Strockbine.  He has stayed the course with his vision, thru the failed attempt to add football, working thru the USCAA to provide alternatives, his work in the Assoc of DIII independents.  (The A D3I has been a catalyst for other independent programs as they have gotten their programs up to "conference" speed.)  I thought that his affiliation arrangements with the NEAC and the SLIAC served valuable purposes in the flux that can be D-III.

The move to the SCAC always was the understood goal.  UD had a different focus from several of the ASC schools.  UD rarely played some of the ASC schools once UD left the ASC.  UD saw itself as more akin to Trinity than to Mississippi College.  When the initial bid to the SCAC was not forthcoming by 2005, and the football attempt had failed, and the outreach to the Great South AC did not result in a conference membership, the school stayed the course.  The NEAC move saved the AQ for that conference as it transformed from an initial haven for 12 D-III independents as they moved into conference style orientations.  Some of those initial NEAC members landed in high quality conferences, especially during the Mid-Atlantic Shuffle.

[radiodavel]

UD was a strong member of the USCAA...that first year they gave us what we needed to move forward with the championships...

he needs to get way more credit than he is receiving, very out of the box thinking...

D3 independents owe him a lot...

frequent flyer miles in D3...will still travel a lot, in this time of a hard economy youhave to give them credit...

[radiodavel]

Northwest Nazarene Considering Athletics Division Change (from D2 to D3)
www.theseniorreports.com/naiadiv3.htm

causing quite a stir at the school, would hurt the present D2 conf they are in... school is doing or will do a study on the move, so no talk of what would happen with the move...

seeing all kinds of changes in college sports the past 2 years, I'm afraid it is only getting started..

[Ralph Turner]

This only makes sense if Northern Nazarene University in Nampa ID has an acceptable mission and vision that is consistent with the members of the Northwest Conference, and can serve as a travel partner for College of Idaho (Albertson College), which is 10 miles away.

Otherwise, they will be more isolated than Chapman or UC Santa Cruz

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

This is an inevitable move for NNU.  They wanted to get out of NAIA and d2 seemed like the best way for them to transition (keeping scholarship athletes, etc), but they're really more suited as a d3 school.

The NWC would be a great fit.  My only question was whether the NWC would require them to add football to join.  I don't think NNU is inclined to go that direction.