Ohio Dominican University Applies for NCAA Membership
April 2, 2008
COLUMBUS, OH – Ohio Dominican University (ODU) has officially filed for membership with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Division II.
If accepted, Ohio Dominican will be the only university in Central Ohio to be NCAA DII, joining three other Ohio schools that are currently members of the DII’s highly-competitive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC). They include Ashland University, the University of Findlay, and Tiffin University.
ODU’s application will be reviewed by the NCAA Membership Committee, which this summer will announce those schools under consideration. NCAA DII’s prescribed timeline for membership is three years. The first two years are spent in exploratory membership, followed by one year of provisional membership.
“Ohio Dominican considers this potential move to the NCAA an integral part of our strategic plan to build enrollment and offer quality athletic programs,” said Bishop James A. Griffin, Interim President of Ohio Dominican University. “Over the past six years, ODU has made great strides in bringing itself up to the financial and facilities standards of NCAA Division II,” he said.
Ohio Dominican is currently a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). “The NAIA has been a great partner and we have been proud to be affiliated with them,” said Bill Blazer, ODU Director of Athletics. “However, our athletic programs and facilities have come a long way over the years, and while we will always place a high value on our relationship with the NAIA, we feel it is time to pursue an opportunity that will ensure that our athletic programs will remain competitive and successful.”
ODU has taken several steps to meet NCAA Division II requirements, including the following:
Expanding its athletic programs, currently offering 14 intercollegiate sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s cross country, football, and men’s and women’s soccer.
Developing a plan for providing athletically-related financial aid in a manner that is consistent with NCAA principles and at a level that will be competitive. “Just as we did in the NAIA, we will continue to award scholarships, adhering to NCAA’s more tightly held regulations regarding total athletic awards and team size,” said Jamie Caridi, Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Retention.
Expanding sports facilities, including a new multisport stadium and stadium lighting, and additional practice fields, weight rooms and athletic offices. This summer, the university will expand its baseball and softball facilities.
Breaking ground for a new 82,000-square-foot student center, to open in the fall of 2009, which will include new locker facilities and an athletic office complex. The student center will augment and improve the university’s existing intercollegiate athletic facilities.
According to Caridi, the University engaged NCAA Athletic consultants who conducted an initial feasibility study which found that a move to the NCAA Division II was not only a possibility but highly recommended.
Thomas J. Brown, GLIAC Commissioner, encouraged ODU to apply for NCAA Division II. “The DII GLIAC is interested in ODU and has plans to add four member colleges, growing from 12 to 16 schools in the next few years,” Brown said.
ODU applied for Division II membership rather than Division III for several reasons including the abundance of Division III institutions in close proximity to the university. DII also awards athletic scholarships, and DIII does not. “We wanted to be able to continue to offer our athletes financial incentives to play here. This was extremely important to us,” Caridi said.
Ohio Dominican has a strong record of fostering student-athletes, and NCAA DII stands for the educational welfare of the participating student-athlete, Caridi added. “The six Division II attributes are learning, service, passion, sportsmanship, resourcefulness and balance. These are all attributes possessed by our student-athletes and fit well with the mission of our university.”
“We feel that NCAA DII membership represents the best of both worlds. It represents a balance between the emphasis on academic excellence that DIII schools offer (the retention rate of DII athletes is 69%), while offering the standardization, professional compliance and quality of athlete that DI schools offer,” Caridi added.
At its February board meeting, the university’s board of trustees approved a motion for Ohio Dominican to submit the application to NCAA Division II and the GLIAC. According to Monsignor Joseph Hendricks, board chair, the university is prepared to devote the necessary resources in the program to ensure that campus infrastructure and project planning is consistent with NCAA DII standards. This will include the appointment of a compliance officer and senior women’s administrator; additional recruitment and operating costs; and the conversion of some part-time positions into full-time positions.
“Ohio Dominican has approached this significant decision to apply to NCAA DII with a ‘big picture’ perspective. We’ve moved in a careful, thoughtful manner to address athletically-related financial aid; the addition of more sports; new and improved sports facilities; the building of a new student center that will include athletic offices and locker rooms, and additions to our athletic staff. ODU has positioned itself well to move into the NCAA DII,” Hendricks said.
“Ohio Dominican University will continue to build on the successes of our athletic programs and NCAA membership will contribute to our university’s goals of being a preeminent Catholic and Dominican higher education institution,” he added.
ODU ATHLETICS
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