NCAA Athletics Certification Peer Review Team Visits UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A team of external reviewers will visit The University of Alabama campus Oct. 17-19 as part of the process to recertify the University’s athletics program under the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Athletics Certification program.

The recertification process began in the fall of 2006 when UA initiated its required self-study covering governance and commitment to rules compliance, academic integrity and commitment to equity and student-athlete well-being. The detailed study, conducted by a steering committee and three subcommittees under the direction of UA Provost Judy Bonner, was submitted to the NCAA in May. It is available for review at http://provost.ua.edu/ncaa.

The site visit team includes Dr. George H. Emert, president emeritus of Utah State University; Fred Mims, associate director of athletics at the University of Iowa; Barbara Walker, senior associate athletic director at Wake Forest University, and Amy Huchthausen, NCAA liaison to the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification and director of NCAA Membership Services. The team will be on campus to verify UA’s report and address any issues or questions they may have concerning the three areas covered in the self-study.

While academic accreditation is common in colleges and universities, the NCAA program focuses solely on athletics programs. Following a pilot project, the NCAA Division I membership overwhelmingly supported the program and its standards at the 1993 NCAA Convention.

UA completed its first certification self-study in 1999. At the 1997 convention, the Division I membership voted to change the frequency of athletics certification from once every five years to once every 10 years. The current self-study was the second in the certification process for UA.

The peer review team will report to the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification, which will then determine the institution’s certification status and announce the decision publicly. The process is expected to be completed by February 2008.