FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[MIAC23]

https://www.inforum.com/sports/football/4816110-Report-St.-Cloud-State-planning-to-drop-football

Wow!!

UM Crookston as well......

[OzJohnnie]

Here's the original article from The Mac Weekly:

Following MIAC removal, St. Thomas pursues D-I future

George Steinke, Sports Editor
December 5, 2019

On May 22, 2019, news broke that the University of St. Thomas would leave the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). The MIAC announced that it would remove the University of St. Thomas from the conference after the completion of the 2020-2021 academic year.

A founding member of the MIAC in 1920, St. Thomas is the only school to remain fully participatory in all sports for the entirety of the conference's existence.

But while the decision to remove the school from the conference was drastic, it did not come out of the blue.

"I think it's been something that's been under discussion, before the announcement... for about a year," President Brian Rosenberg said.

MIAC Commissioner Dan McKane did not specify exactly when that discussion began, though he wrote in an email to The Mac Weekly that "presidents are continuously engaging in conversations regarding membership."

Once the news of St. Thomas' removal broke, however, it quickly made headlines throughout the Twin Cities, in Minnesota and across the country.

"It reverberated nationally," Macalester Athletic Director Donnie Brooks said. "I got emails from all over the country, both good and bad, from folks who thought Macalester was a part of it... it created an emotional reaction from St. Thomas graduates, but also with conferences and schools around the country."

Because the announcement did not specify the conference's rationale, a number of people were quick to speculate about possible causes, such as having too high a win percentage in conference competition.

Rosenberg specifically expressed concerns about a lack of correct information in reporting.

"A lot of the reporting has been inaccurate," Rosenberg said. "But that's reasonable when you can't say anything. That's the consequence of confidentiality — that people are going to make their own determinations about what they think happened."

"I think the narrative became that 'St. Thomas is so good, they're too good for this conference,'" Brooks said.


The University of St. Thomas's athletic facilities. St. Thomas will be removed from the MIAC conference after the completion of the 2020-2021 academic year. Photo by Liam McMahon '20.

Rosenberg also pointed to speculation that St. Thomas was kicked out unwillingly. "The whole narrative of St. Thomas being involuntarily removed from the MIAC is not accurate," Rosenberg said.

Some speculation extended beyond athletics and instead focused on St. Thomas' academic strength relative to other MIAC schools.

"There was reporting that other colleges were just jealous of St. Thomas' academic success, which is kinda preposterous when you've got a conference that has Macalester, Carleton and St. Olaf in it," Rosenberg said.

"The MIAC is an athletic conference. I see it really, purely, as a decision that had to do with athletics," he continued.

McKane, however, said the process was based on more than just win percentage — and alluded to the fact that St. Thomas' size and admissions acceptance rate differ significantly from many of their soon-to-be former MIAC rivals. St. Thomas' undergraduate enrollment is more than twice that of any other school in the conference.

"In the end, our membership prioritized institutions of similar size and philosophies when determining membership," McKane wrote.

Rosenberg said that the process and the public reaction revealed something about larger perceptions of division-based collegiate athletics. Those perceptions are important considering that, shortly after leaving the MIAC, St. Thomas received an invitation to join the Summit League, a Division I conference with members in the Midwest, in every sport except football and hockey.

"I think one of the biggest and most revealing strands in the whole narrative, and you see it come out again in the recent stories since St. Thomas has been invited to join D-I, is that somehow schools that don't want to be D-I are lesser than schools that do," Rosenberg said.

"The implication in a lot of these articles is that St. Thomas is having the last laugh because they've been invited to join Division I."

But for Rosenberg, there are ample reasons to avoid moving to Division I.

"From my perspective, being invited to join Division I is a pain in the neck," Rosenberg said. "You have to spend a lot more money on athletics, you have to spend more money on scholarships, you have to invest more money in your athletic facilities, and it shifts the priorities of the institution in a way I would never want to shift Macalester."

St. Thomas, clearly, sees things differently. This fall, it began an appeal to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for a waiver to bypass a required stint in Division II before joining Division I. Under normal NCAA rules, an institution transitioning from Division III to Division I must complete a twelve-year transition period. That would include spending at least five years competing in Division II before being allowed to join Division I.

Largely because of the main distinction between Division I and Division III — that D-I schools can offer athletic scholarships while D-III schools cannot — the NCAA in 2011 banned schools from making the leap straight from D-III to D-I.

The Summit League reached out to St. Thomas following their departure from the MIAC, and has expressed its support for their waiver appeal. According to a Nov. 27 story in the New York Times, a decision on St. Thomas' waiver could come as soon as January, though an April announcement is more likely.

If the university is granted a waiver this year, it will begin competing in the Summit League in the fall of 2021. If it is denied the waiver, they will continue to search for options in Division III and Division II.

St. Thomas' application could prompt large-scale change in the NCAA. In large part because of their attempt, the NCAA Division-I Council decided in mid-October to study a pathway from Division-III straight to Division-I.

The MIAC, meanwhile, will move forward without one of its most visible members — and has no plan to pursue a new member in its place.

"In 1997, the MIAC Presidents' Council placed a moratorium on new members, without an expiration date," McKane wrote. "It would take an act by the Presidents' Council to lift the new member moratorium."

For the remainder of this year and the next, St. Thomas' conference status remain unchanged. Come the spring of 2021, however, the school will be faced with its three options: remain in Division III, move up to Division II, or potentially jump all the way to Division I.

If they are allowed to pursue the third option, the MIAC's decision to remove St. Thomas may have groundbreaking implications for the entire landscape of collegiate sports in the United States.

There's only one thing that could make me have any sympathy at all for St Thomas and that thing is a great, big, arrogant whinge by some Macalester numpty.  D1 better?  Not in my book, *sniff*.  UST has academic success?  Ha! Not compared to us!

I mean what a tosser.  UST may suck but MAC is full of wankers.

[AO]

https://www.inforum.com/sports/football/4816110-Report-St.-Cloud-State-planning-to-drop-football

Wow!!

UM Crookston as well......

I was hoping Crookston would just come over to the UMAC.

[Retired Old Rat]

https://www.inforum.com/sports/football/4816110-Report-St.-Cloud-State-planning-to-drop-football

Wow!!

UM Crookston as well......

This makes sense.  Most if not all schools in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system have been bleeding students.  St. Cloud has been hit hard and has been dealing with huge budget issues for years.  That, along with a small, apathetic fan base this makes sense.

Should benefit Johnnie recruiting in Central Minnesota.  (miac952, it's always about the Johnnies.)

[Baldini]

https://www.inforum.com/sports/football/4816110-Report-St.-Cloud-State-planning-to-drop-football

Wow!!

UM Crookston as well......

I was hoping Crookston would just come over to the UMAC.

I had the same thought. Renew the Crookston and Morris rivalry from days of old.

[Retired Old Rat]

After a few days to process, a couple thoughts from the Wheaton game and going forward:

*Much was made about Wheaton's d-line, but their o-line was really good.  We really lacked pressure on their QB for most of the day. 

*I don't know what's happened, but our kick coverage started so strong this year, but it's struggled the second half of the season.  Part of it is our kicker(s) not getting the greatest distance.

*How lucky are we with Kummer?  We wouldn't be in the semis if the staff wouldn't have coaxed him back to the field.  And how amazing is it that SJU is the team that won due to 2 missed PATs? 

*I've been critical of Blake Patrick's hands in the past, but he has made some very clutch plays in big games this season.  Good for him!

*Erdmann.  What can you say?  In the playoffs (3 games), he's been 82-123-2 for 1346 yards and 14 TDs.  And he's spreading the ball all over the place.  I was very impressed vs. Wheaton that he was taking what they'd give him and not forcing throws.

*The UWW game will be an interesting clash of styles.  I'm not sure what to expect.  I'm impressed that UWW went down and crushed UMHB!

I talked to Kummer's mom in the parking lot before the game at Wheaton.  She was handing out cookies with red M&Ms to anyone in red.  She told me it was Jackson Erdmanm who went to her son and talked him into coming back.

What doesn't Erdmann do?

[AO]

After a few days to process, a couple thoughts from the Wheaton game and going forward:

*Much was made about Wheaton's d-line, but their o-line was really good.  We really lacked pressure on their QB for most of the day. 

*I don't know what's happened, but our kick coverage started so strong this year, but it's struggled the second half of the season.  Part of it is our kicker(s) not getting the greatest distance.

*How lucky are we with Kummer?  We wouldn't be in the semis if the staff wouldn't have coaxed him back to the field.  And how amazing is it that SJU is the team that won due to 2 missed PATs? 

*I've been critical of Blake Patrick's hands in the past, but he has made some very clutch plays in big games this season.  Good for him!

*Erdmann.  What can you say?  In the playoffs (3 games), he's been 82-123-2 for 1346 yards and 14 TDs.  And he's spreading the ball all over the place.  I was very impressed vs. Wheaton that he was taking what they'd give him and not forcing throws.

*The UWW game will be an interesting clash of styles.  I'm not sure what to expect.  I'm impressed that UWW went down and crushed UMHB!

I talked to Kummer's mom in the parking lot before the game at Wheaton.  She was handing out cookies with red M&Ms to anyone in red.  She told me it was Jackson Erdmanm who went to her son and talked him into coming back.

What doesn't Erdmann do?

Does he wash the team uniforms like Booker Coplin does for Augsburg?  https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/video/4032273-augsburgs-booker-coplin-cleans-up-on-court-locker-room/
Could be a nice late addition to his Gagliardi Award application.

[miac952]

https://www.inforum.com/sports/football/4816110-Report-St.-Cloud-State-planning-to-drop-football

Wow!!

UM Crookston as well......

This makes sense.  Most if not all schools in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system have been bleeding students.  St. Cloud has been hit hard and has been dealing with huge budget issues for years.  That, along with a small, apathetic fan base this makes sense.  Should be a win for Johnnie football.

This is one of many reasons why DII was never a good option for UST. The long game in DII doesn't look favorable. Schools bleeding $ towards athletic scholarships with zero chance at any revenue to come from them. The athletic PR notoriety is no greater than DIII either. Michigan Tech and other DII schools have considered the same. With Augie already leaving, it will be interesting to see the makeup of the NSIC in five years. Would UMD or Mankato consider making a D1 leap? Would CSP or others consider dropping down? Most of those in a strong financial position have already made the leap in the last 15 years: UND, USD, SDSU, NDSU, UNO, Northern Colorado. Do Mankato and UMD really want to be dancing in a conference with the likes of Upper Iowa, University of Mary, Northern State, etc?

[repete]

https://www.inforum.com/sports/football/4816110-Report-St.-Cloud-State-planning-to-drop-football

Wow!!

UM Crookston as well......

Hmm ... if it's not in the S.C. Times how can it be true? 

Scooped by the Fargo Farm.

[miac952]

Here's the original article from The Mac Weekly:

Following MIAC removal, St. Thomas pursues D-I future

George Steinke, Sports Editor
December 5, 2019

On May 22, 2019, news broke that the University of St. Thomas would leave the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). The MIAC announced that it would remove the University of St. Thomas from the conference after the completion of the 2020-2021 academic year.

A founding member of the MIAC in 1920, St. Thomas is the only school to remain fully participatory in all sports for the entirety of the conference's existence.

But while the decision to remove the school from the conference was drastic, it did not come out of the blue.

"I think it's been something that's been under discussion, before the announcement... for about a year," President Brian Rosenberg said.

MIAC Commissioner Dan McKane did not specify exactly when that discussion began, though he wrote in an email to The Mac Weekly that "presidents are continuously engaging in conversations regarding membership."

Once the news of St. Thomas' removal broke, however, it quickly made headlines throughout the Twin Cities, in Minnesota and across the country.

"It reverberated nationally," Macalester Athletic Director Donnie Brooks said. "I got emails from all over the country, both good and bad, from folks who thought Macalester was a part of it... it created an emotional reaction from St. Thomas graduates, but also with conferences and schools around the country."

Because the announcement did not specify the conference's rationale, a number of people were quick to speculate about possible causes, such as having too high a win percentage in conference competition.

Rosenberg specifically expressed concerns about a lack of correct information in reporting.

"A lot of the reporting has been inaccurate," Rosenberg said. "But that's reasonable when you can't say anything. That's the consequence of confidentiality — that people are going to make their own determinations about what they think happened."

"I think the narrative became that 'St. Thomas is so good, they're too good for this conference,'" Brooks said.


The University of St. Thomas's athletic facilities. St. Thomas will be removed from the MIAC conference after the completion of the 2020-2021 academic year. Photo by Liam McMahon '20.

Rosenberg also pointed to speculation that St. Thomas was kicked out unwillingly. "The whole narrative of St. Thomas being involuntarily removed from the MIAC is not accurate," Rosenberg said.

Some speculation extended beyond athletics and instead focused on St. Thomas' academic strength relative to other MIAC schools.

"There was reporting that other colleges were just jealous of St. Thomas' academic success, which is kinda preposterous when you've got a conference that has Macalester, Carleton and St. Olaf in it," Rosenberg said.

"The MIAC is an athletic conference. I see it really, purely, as a decision that had to do with athletics," he continued.

McKane, however, said the process was based on more than just win percentage — and alluded to the fact that St. Thomas' size and admissions acceptance rate differ significantly from many of their soon-to-be former MIAC rivals. St. Thomas' undergraduate enrollment is more than twice that of any other school in the conference.

"In the end, our membership prioritized institutions of similar size and philosophies when determining membership," McKane wrote.

Rosenberg said that the process and the public reaction revealed something about larger perceptions of division-based collegiate athletics. Those perceptions are important considering that, shortly after leaving the MIAC, St. Thomas received an invitation to join the Summit League, a Division I conference with members in the Midwest, in every sport except football and hockey.

"I think one of the biggest and most revealing strands in the whole narrative, and you see it come out again in the recent stories since St. Thomas has been invited to join D-I, is that somehow schools that don't want to be D-I are lesser than schools that do," Rosenberg said.

"The implication in a lot of these articles is that St. Thomas is having the last laugh because they've been invited to join Division I."

But for Rosenberg, there are ample reasons to avoid moving to Division I.

"From my perspective, being invited to join Division I is a pain in the neck," Rosenberg said. "You have to spend a lot more money on athletics, you have to spend more money on scholarships, you have to invest more money in your athletic facilities, and it shifts the priorities of the institution in a way I would never want to shift Macalester."

St. Thomas, clearly, sees things differently. This fall, it began an appeal to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for a waiver to bypass a required stint in Division II before joining Division I. Under normal NCAA rules, an institution transitioning from Division III to Division I must complete a twelve-year transition period. That would include spending at least five years competing in Division II before being allowed to join Division I.

Largely because of the main distinction between Division I and Division III — that D-I schools can offer athletic scholarships while D-III schools cannot — the NCAA in 2011 banned schools from making the leap straight from D-III to D-I.

The Summit League reached out to St. Thomas following their departure from the MIAC, and has expressed its support for their waiver appeal. According to a Nov. 27 story in the New York Times, a decision on St. Thomas' waiver could come as soon as January, though an April announcement is more likely.

If the university is granted a waiver this year, it will begin competing in the Summit League in the fall of 2021. If it is denied the waiver, they will continue to search for options in Division III and Division II.

St. Thomas' application could prompt large-scale change in the NCAA. In large part because of their attempt, the NCAA Division-I Council decided in mid-October to study a pathway from Division-III straight to Division-I.

The MIAC, meanwhile, will move forward without one of its most visible members — and has no plan to pursue a new member in its place.

"In 1997, the MIAC Presidents' Council placed a moratorium on new members, without an expiration date," McKane wrote. "It would take an act by the Presidents' Council to lift the new member moratorium."

For the remainder of this year and the next, St. Thomas' conference status remain unchanged. Come the spring of 2021, however, the school will be faced with its three options: remain in Division III, move up to Division II, or potentially jump all the way to Division I.

If they are allowed to pursue the third option, the MIAC's decision to remove St. Thomas may have groundbreaking implications for the entire landscape of collegiate sports in the United States.

There's only one thing that could make me have any sympathy at all for St Thomas and that thing is a great, big, arrogant whinge by some Macalester numpty.  D1 better?  Not in my book, *sniff*.  UST has academic success?  Ha! Not compared to us!

I mean what a tosser.  UST may suck but MAC is full of wankers.

Let us not forget that Brian Rosenberg was the man that brought Glen Caruso to St Paul and DIII. Mac educates the finest barista's in the country.

Average salary 10 years after graduating from Macalester: $54,100.
Average salary 10 years after graduating from St. Thomas: $62,000.
Cost per year (tuition, books, fees, room and board, etc.) at Macalester: $68,627.
Cost per year (tuition, books, fees, room and board, etc.) at St. Thomas: $56,664.

I believe SJU is similar to UST as well. Don't want to leave y'all out. 

[Retired Old Rat]

https://www.inforum.com/sports/football/4816110-Report-St.-Cloud-State-planning-to-drop-football

Wow!!

UM Crookston as well......

Hmm ... if it's not in the S.C. Times how can it be true? 

Scooped by the Fargo Farm.

The one reporter remaining at the Times was busy covering a car accident in Sartell.

[TheChucker]

https://www.inforum.com/sports/football/4816110-Report-St.-Cloud-State-planning-to-drop-football

Wow!!

UM Crookston as well......

With all those men's football scholarships out of the way (if they were actually funded), the next logical step could be eliminating some women's teams. A good friend of my daughter is expecting to be an athlete there next year. I bet the family is wondering about this.

[Robert Zimmerman]

I believe SCSU will be adding Mens' Soccer.

[Pat Coleman]

Average salary 10 years after graduating from Macalester: $54,100.
Average salary 10 years after graduating from St. Thomas: $62,000.
Cost per year (tuition, books, fees, room and board, etc.) at Macalester: $68,627.
Cost per year (tuition, books, fees, room and board, etc.) at St. Thomas: $56,664.

Source?

[repete]

https://www.inforum.com/sports/football/4816110-Report-St.-Cloud-State-planning-to-drop-football

Wow!!

UM Crookston as well......

Hmm ... if it's not in the S.C. Times how can it be true? 

Scooped by the Fargo Farm.

The one reporter remaining at the Times was busy covering a car accident in Sartell.

Sad. I bought a digital subscription this fall, but dropped it a week or so ago. When I called to cancel, I was offered a $6.99 rate, then a $5.99 rate and then ("I'm not supposed to do this") $4.99 rate. I'd love to support them, but with that sparse SJU coverage and the shrinking high school range, there's not much of interest.

The staff list shows 11 folks in the newsroom. Wonder what it was during the Auggie/Reusse days ...