Sports sponsorship: Towson University announced it will discontinue men's cross country, men's indoor and outdoor track, and men's tennis at the end of the current academic year. The school also announced the addition of women's golf as a varsity sport, beginning in 2006. The changes put Towson's sport sponsorship at 20, including 13 for women ... St. Mary's College (California) announced a reallocation of resources to strengthen the college's intercollegiate, club and recreational sports programs. As a result, the school is discontinuing its participation in intercollegiate football, effective immediately. "This difficult decision is the result of thoughtful and lengthy discussions over recent years about the competitive and financial realities confronting all higher educational institutions of our size," said St. Mary's President Craig Franz. Nicholas Moore, chair of the school's board of trustees, said, "Given the significant financial and support requirements for fielding a football team capable of competing against our Division I-AA peers, as well as the impact on funding for our other intercollegiate teams, the board agreed that the best way to serve the athletics needs of our entire student population is to discontinue this one program." St. Mary's will honor all existing football personnel contracts and grants-in-aid commitments to affected coaches and student-athletes. "We are all saddened by this painful decision," Craig said, "but it is our obligation to care for the academic and athletics experiences of all of our students."

Conferences: Six intercollegiate institutions that range geographically from North Dakota to Utah to California have announced the formation of the Great West Football Conference. The Division I-AA football-only alliance will begin competition in 2004, with full round-robin play scheduled to begin during the 200 season. The six members of the Great West Football Conference are California Polytechnic State University; the University of California, Davis; North Dakota State University; the University of Northern Colorado; South Dakota State University; and Southern Utah University. "The formation of the Great West Football Conference will give us an opportunity to build on existing strong rivalries, aid in recruitment and expand opportunities for postseason play," said Cal Poly President Warren Baker. "This is another step forward for our athletics program. Our fans are excited, our coaches are pleased by the new opportunities this creates and our student-athletes are energized by the competition." Alison Cone, interim director of athletics at Cal Poly and member of the Division I Management Council, said, "After playing football as an NCAA Division I-AA independent for eight years, the Great West will give our student-athletes something to play for -- a true conference championship."

Milestones: Lipscomb University men's and women's tennis coach Lynn Griffith earned his 300th victory at the school March 2 when his squads swept a match at Tennessee State University. Griffith has coached tennis for 17 of his 23 years at Lipscomb.

Miscellaneous: The School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, has received a gift of $100,000 to endow an annual student internship in sports communication. The Jim and Pat Thacker Internships in Sports Communication will provide $5,000 each year to a school junior or senior to work for 10 weeks on a summer internship with a professional sports organization. The first award will be given in 2004-05, and the first recipient will be named in April ... Jacksonville University has reaffirmed its commitment to remain a full-fledged Division I athletics program. Acting President Catherine Morgan presented the recommendations to the school's board of trustees after a study of possible alternatives as part of the university's ongoing financial and organizational restructuring efforts. "This is a decision that makes sense for the university from a strategic and financial standpoint," Morgan said. "But it is more about the 400-plus student-athletes who study here at Jacksonville and the role they play in our campus community. We've looked at this decision from many angles and decided that this is what is best for our students and our university's future." The announcement comes shortly after a decision to realign the athletics department under the university's division of student life as part of a campus-wide financial restructuring plan. Under the new organization, all coaches and staff will report to the vice-president for student life. The position of athletics director was eliminated. Jacksonville has been competing at the Division I level since 1965. The school fields 18 varsity sports, including a Division I-AA nonscholarship football program.

-- Compiled by Gary T. Brown