April 21, 2006

NCAA peer review team to conduct site visit at TROY

TROY – A NCAA review team will decide whether or not Troy University is certified to participate in intercollegiate athletics April 24-26 when the peer review team visits the University.

Two peer review team members and a staff liaison from the NCAA will make the visit to review the University’s final draft of the NCAA Self-Study Report the institution completed in January. The NCAA has had the draft since its completion, and an announcement concerning TROY’s certification status will be announced publicly during the visit, said Dr. Jefferson Spurlock, TROY’s NCAA Steering Committee chairman.

“The process opens up athletics to rest of the University community and to the public,” said Spurlock, who is also a journalism professor.

A University committee conducted the study, required by the NCAA certification program that is aimed at ensuring integrity in the University’s athletics operations. Through the process, an institution can be either certified, certified with conditions, or not certified. While universities and colleges have an opportunity to correct any deficient areas identified by the review team, those universities and colleges that do not take corrective actions may be ruled ineligible for NCAA championships. It is the second in the certification process for TROY, and is now conducted once every 10 years.

Spurlock said the specific areas the TROY study covers includes academic integrity, governance and commitment to rules compliance, as well as a commitment to equity and student-athlete welfare. It’s the second study completed by TROY.

Following a pilot project, the Division I membership overwhelmingly supported the program and its standards at the 1993 NCAA Convention. 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 and to require a five-year interim-status report.

The NCAA is a membership organization of colleges and universities that participate in intercollegiate athletics. The primary purpose of the Association is to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the educational program and the athlete as an integral part of the student body. Activities of the NCAA membership include formulating rules of play for NCAA sports, conducting national championships, adopting and enforcing standards of eligibility, and studying all phases of intercollegiate athletics.

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