Conferences: Georgia State University became an official member of the Colonial Athletic Association July 1 after being affiliated with the Atlantic Sun Conference. "This is a pivotal time in Georgia State history, especially Georgia State athletics history," said Tom Lewis, vice-president for external affairs and athletics operations. "It's given us a unique opportunity to be part of a conference with schools that are directly aligned with us, not only athletically but academically." Georgia State, which sponsors 17 intercollegiate sports, will be joining the CAA at the same time as Northeastern University, giving the league 12 members. Other conference institutions include the University of Delaware; Drexel University; Georgia Mason University; Hofstra University; James Madison University; the University of North Carolina, Wilmington; Old Dominion University; Towson University; Virginia Commonwealth University; and the College of William and Mary. The CAA, based in Richmond, Virginia, will begin its 21st year of NCAA Division I competition in 2005-06. The league conducts championships in 21sports with automatic bids to NCAA postseason play in the 15 that Georgia State will compete in.

Facilities: Indiana University, Bloomington will install a $1.99-million scoreboard-video board in Assembly Hall this summer. The state-of-the art scoreboard-video board will include four video screens, four video/scoring/statistics screens, one center-hung ProAd ring, five ProTable scorer's table units, four auxiliary portal scoreboards, as well as three-sided shot clocks and a new game-timing system. The scoreboard-video board system is a significant upgrade from the scoreboard and timing system that has been in use for the past 11 seasons, which cannot show video highlights or individual/team statistics. Additionally, the current shot clocks do not display hundredths of a second, and replacement of parts for the entire timing system is difficult due to the unit's age. "We are looking to create a positive fan experience, while still preserving the distinct look of Assembly Hall," said Athletics Director Rick Greenspan. "Additionally, a vital part of our mission is to continually develop new sources of revenue that will help sustain our total athletics program for the benefit of all of our student-athletes. However, we have been extremely careful in this process not to negatively affect the aura and aesthetics of Assembly Hall."

Miscellaneous: The National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) membership voted to adopt a new logo at its annual convention in June. The logo created by Phoenix Design Works of New York was one of several under consideration by NACMA members. "NACMA is excited about the opportunity to update our identity," said NACMA President Leslie Wurzberger, assistant athletics director for marketing and promotions at the University of Washington. "As an organization, we are growing at a record pace and adapting to meet the needs of our ever-changing industry. Updating our identity was a logical step in this process." The association reached membership milestones in 2004-05, with more than 800 members. Additionally, more than 450 members attended NACMA's annual convention. NACMA is the first organization of its kind to provide educational and networking opportunities; enhancement of acceptable operating standards and ethics; and establishment of the overall prestige and understanding of the profession of athletics marketing administrators. NACMA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics ...

 The Southland Conference has announced a new student-athlete citizenship award beginning in 2005-06, and the honor will be named for retiring Stephen F. Austin State Athletics Director Steve McCarty. The Steve McCarty Award will recognize a Southland Conference male and female student-athlete who exhibit outstanding qualities in citizenship, sportsmanship, leadership and community service. In addition to the overall conference recipients, others nominated also will be honored with campus awards. The league's awards committee made the recommendation at the Southland Conference's meeting in June. McCarty learned he was namesake of the award during the honors ceremony held at the meeting. "There's no one who cares more for student-athletes than Steve does, not only his own teams, but for every student-athlete in the Southland Conference," Southland Conference commissioner Tom Burnett said. "The Southland Conference will miss Steve's day-to-day presence when he retires, but this honor will ensure that his name is forever associated with the league." McCarty announced in April that he will retire his position at Stephen F. Austin effective August 31, 2005. He has been with the school for the past 21 years, the last 15 as athletics director ...

Hofstra University has unveiled a new athletics logo to coincide with a new university mark. The new athletics logo consists of a graphic mark of a male and female lion in synchronized motion with the word mark of the Hofstra Pride or the specific sports team. As part of a university-wide re-imaging project to better identify and clarify the university brand, Hofstra embarked on a year-long process that involved students, alumni, faculty, boosters, staff and administrators. "The logo redesign involved many constituents from the campus community, including current and former student-athletes," said Jack Hayes, Hofstra director of athletics. "We are excited that the finished product incorporates many of their thoughts and concepts." The Hofstra Pride refers to a pack of lions, male and female, which work together toward a common goal. The first consistent use of the word relating to athletics was in 1989 when the university's athletics booster club was founded and called itself The Pride Club, simply referring to the pride that alumni and fans had for Hofstra teams. The Hofstra seal, used as part of previous athletics logos, remains in use as an official symbol of Hofstra University and will be affixed to formal documents, and used for official purposes such as commencement, convocations and official university functions.

-- Compiled by Gary T. Brown