Rice Athletic Program Receives NCAA Certification

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA (April 16, 2009) The NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification announced Thursday that Rice University was one of 35 member institutions certified during the Association’s second cycle of athletics certification.

The purpose of athletics certification is to ensure integrity in the institutions athletics program and to assist institutions in improving their athletic departments. NCAA legislation mandating athletics certification was adopted in 1993. The certification process, which involves a self-study led by an institution’s president or chancellor, includes a review of four primary components – governance and commitment to rules compliance, academic integrity, equity, and student-athlete well-being.

Rice University’s designation of certified means the institution operates its athletics program in substantial conformity with operating principles adopted by the NCAA’s Division I membership.

The second round of athletics certifications is being completed on a 10-year cycle rather than the five-year cycle used during the initial certification process. All 326 active Division I members participate in the certification process.

The Division I Committee on Athletics Certification preliminarily reviews an institution’s certification materials and provides a list of issues identified during the evaluation. The university then hosts a visit by peer reviewers who file a report regarding the institution’s resolution of those issues before a final certification decision is rendered. An institution’s failure to satisfactorily respond to the committee may negatively impact certification status.

The certification process is separate from the NCAA’s enforcement program, which investigates allegations of rules violations by NCAA member institutions. A decision of certified does not exempt an institution from concurrent or subsequent enforcement proceedings.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions may ask the Committee on Athletics Certification to review an institution’s certification status as a result of the completed infractions case.

The members of the Committee on Athletics Certification are: Robert Bernardi, Nicholls State University; McKinley Boston Jr., New Mexico State University; Casey Comoroski, Missouri State University; Beatrice Crane Banford, Marshall University; Amy Folan, University of Texas at Austin; Judy Genshaft, University of South Florida; Joanne Glasser, Bradley University; Wendy Guthrie, West Coast Conference; Nathan Hatch (chair), Wake Forest University; Brian Linnane, Loyola College (Maryland); Barbara Luebke, University of Rhode Island; M. Dianne Murphy, Columbia University-Barnard College; Gloria Nevarez, University of Oklahoma; Sheila Patterson, Cleveland State University; Donald Pope-Davis, University of Notre Dame; Allison Rich, California State University, Fullerton; Mark Richard, Auburn University; and Jon Steinbrecher, Ohio Valley Conference.