Baylor Athletic Department Receives NCAA Certification
Baylor University was one of nine institutions certified Thursday by the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification.
"I'm pleased that the NCAA has found Baylor's athletics program to be in full compliance with all of the NCAA's operating principles, and I want to thank the many people across Baylor's campus who participated in a rigorous, yet beneficial self-study process," Baylor President John M. Lilley said. "Athletics plays a vital role in the life of the university. We want to ensure all those who love and support Baylor that we are committed to competing successfully and with integrity, while providing our student-athletes with the ability to succeed both in the classroom and on the field of competition."
A designation of certified means that Baylor operates its athletics program in substantial conformity with operating principles adopted by the Division I membership. NCAA legislation mandating athletics certification was adopted in 1993 and this marks Baylor's second cycle of athletics certification.
The second round of athletics certifications is being conducted on a 10-year cycle rather than the five-year cycle used during the initial process. All 326 active Division I members participate in the certification process which is designed to ensure integrity in the institution's athletics program and assist schools in improving their athletic departments.
"The NCAA certification self-study, peer review visit and decision were each highly successful events for Baylor Athletics," Baylor Director of Athletics Ian McCaw said. "Without question, Baylor Athletics benefited greatly from this process and demonstrated to the NCAA certification committee and peer review team its integrity, commitment to NCAA operating principles and vision for excellence. We believe that the high standard reached by Baylor in this process will become a model for institutions to follow."
The certification process, which involves a self-study led by an institution's president or chancellor, includes a review of these primary components: governance and commitment to rules compliance; academic integrity; equity; and student-athlete well-being. The Division I Committee on Athletics Certification reviews an institution's certification materials and provides a list of issues, if any, identified during the evaluation process. The university then hosts a visit by a peer review team who compile a report regarding the institution's resolution of those issues before a certification decision is made.
The Baylor athletic department had no issues to resolve either before or after the peer review team made its campus visit, McCaw said.
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: McKinley Boston, New Mexico State University; Shonna Brown, Mid-American Conference; Rita Hartung Cheng, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Rich Ensor, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference; Kevin Hatcher, Colgate University; Pat Howey, University of North Carolina, Wilmington; Gerald M. Lage, Oklahoma State University; Leo Lambert (chair), Elon University; Fred Mims, University of Iowa; Gloria Nevarez, West Coast Conference; Frank Pergolizzi, Southeastern Louisiana University; Mary Ann Rohleder, Indiana University, Bloomington; Greg Sankey, Southeastern Conference; and John Steinbrecher, Ohio Valley Conference.
For additional information, contact Nick Joos, Associate A.D./Communications, (254) 710-3043