Bard and Rochester Institute of Technology will join the Liberty League as full members, beginning in the 2011-12 academic year.

“We’re delighted to welcome Bard and RIT into the Liberty League,” said Jim McLaughlin, director of athletics at Union (New York) and league president. “Both of these outstanding institutions share the ideals of the Liberty League in terms of student-first philosophy and approaching intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the overall educational experience. We look forward to the contributions that Bard and RIT will make to the league, both academically and athletically.”

Bard currently is a member of the Skyline Conference and Rochester Institute of Technology competes in the Empire 8.

“Bard College enthusiastically accepts the invitation to join the Liberty League,” said James Brudvig, the school’s vice president for administration. “We believe that the Liberty League schools mix academic and athletics excellence in the right proportions. We look forward to our full participation in 2011.”

Bard sponsors 15 varsity sports and also competes in the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association and the College Squash Association.

“Bard is very pleased to accept membership into the Liberty League, a long- and well-respected conference with a clear focus on the balance of the student-athlete experience,” said Kristen Hall, Bard director of athletics. “Our academic profile blends nicely with that of the league’s membership and we look forward to the future experiences that our student-athletes will have with our peer institutions.”

Rochester Institute of Technology President Bill Destler said acceptance into the Liberty League “is wonderful news on the campus, particularly for our scholar athletes,” and added that the school “fits in very well” with league schools’ intercollegiate athletics philosophy.

The institute sponsors 24 varsity sports and also competes in the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference and Division I Atlantic Hockey Conference.

“We are very pleased and honored to have gained acceptance in to the Liberty League,” added Lou Spiotti, the school’s director of athletics. “The Liberty League is a premier NCAA Division III conference composed of colleges and universities with values and aspirations similar to those of RIT. This is a historic move for RIT and for our intercollegiate athletics programs and we look forward with great anticipation to our new association.”

The Liberty League currently has nine full members and sponsors championships in 24 sports. One of those schools, Hamilton, recently announced it will fully integrate its athletics program into the New England Small College Athletic Conference (where some programs currently compete) in 2011-12.

Bard and RIT will join Clarkson, Hobart and William Smith, Rochester, Rensselaer, St. Lawrence, Skidmore, Union and Vassar as league members. Merchant Marine is an associate member in football and men’s golf, and Susquehanna and WPI are associate members in football only, though Susquehanna will play the sport in the Centennial Conference beginning in 2010.