William Jewell College has announced plans to pursue a change in affiliation from the Heart of America Athletic Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics to Division II’s Great Lakes Valley Conference.

School officials said they plan to apply by the June 1 deadline for Division II membership. William Jewell previously had been in an exploratory phase of Division III membership.

“William Jewell has enjoyed an exceptionally strong tradition of student-athletes who are both engaged in the classroom and competitive on the playing field,” said William Jewell President David Sallee. “Although our association with the NAIA has been productive and satisfying, we believe that the move to the NCAA will build on Jewell’s history of academic excellence within a student-centered environment and will provide an association for our athletes that mirrors the high level of experience they enjoy in the classroom.”

William Jewell, located in Liberty, Missouri, just outside of Kansas City, will seek to affiliate with the Great Lakes Valley Conference, whose current members are Bellarmine, Drury, Kentucky Wesleyan, Lewis, Missouri S&T, Northern Kentucky, Quincy, Rockhurst, Saint Joseph’s (Indiana), Indianapolis, Missouri-St. Louis, Southern Indiana and Wisconsin-Parkside. Maryville (Missouri) and Illinois-Springfield will begin membership in 2009-10.

Sallee said the Division II philosophy blends seamlessly with the institutional mission of William Jewell. “William Jewell has always emphasized academic achievement, service to the community and personal development,” he said. “These values are deeply ingrained in the college’s approach to higher education, just as they are in the NCAA’s model of athletics competition as a means to the end of developing individuals who are equipped to deal with the challenges presented beyond the classroom and the playing field. We feel that this new association will provide an ideal match for the personal development needs of our student-athletes.”