National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News Features

November 11, 1996

Committee OK on longer certification cycle -- with conditions

The NCAA Administrative Committee has agreed to sponsor a key amendment-to-amendment to a proposal that would establish a 10-year cycle for the Division I athletics certification process.

The amendment-to-amendment, which was developed by the NCAA Committee on Athletics Certification, would amend Proposal No. 2-3, which is to be considered at the 1997 Convention in January. In addition to changing the cycle from once every five years to once every 10, the proposal also would provide for a five-year interim status report.

A survey taken by the Committee on Athletics Certification showed that almost 70 percent of the respondents favored a cycle of more than the current five years. Based on that response, the committee supported the primary objective of the proposal, the 10-year cycle.

However, the committee was concerned with some aspects of Proposal No. 2-3 and designed the amendment-to-amendment to achieve the following:

  • Require that the interim report be acted upon by the committee (in order to provide the institution feedback and guidance for the next cycle).

  • Remove restrictions on the contents of the interim report (the original proposal would limit it to how the institution is complying with elements of the initial certification that required correction or modification).

  • Provide the committee the flexibility to treat fairly schools that participated in different classes in the first cycle.

  • Allow for institutions' preferences and unique circumstances regarding scheduling to be taken into account (for example, regional accreditation cycles).

  • Permit a balancing of the load on the committee, peer reviewers and staff.

  • Ensure that the committee will be able to evenly spread schools throughout the 10-year cycle.

  • Retain an institution's opportunity to request a schedule modification, as outlined in Bylaw 33.3.1.2.

    Although the NCAA Council has the authority to sponsor amendments-to-amendments at the time of the Convention, the action by the Administrative Committee means that the amendment-to-amendment will appear in the Official Notice of the Convention, which will be mailed November 15.

    The proposal originally was sponsored by the Metro Atlantic Athletic, Mid-Continent and Missouri Valley Conferences. At its August meeting, the Council agreed to cosponsor the proposal. In September, the NCAA Presidents Commission voted to support the proposal, contingent on the support of the Committee on Athletics Certification.