Aug. 20, 2009
The NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification announced today that Lamar University has achieved full certification.
"Lamar University is delighted to have been successfully recertified by the NCAA," said Kevin Smith, Lamar senior associate provost. "This endorsement speaks loudly to Lamar's steadfast commitment to athletic excellence."
The purpose of athletics certification is to ensure integrity in the institution's athletics program and to assist institutions in improving their athletics departments. NCAA legislation mandating athletics certification was adopted in 1993.
"We are extremely pleased with the way that the entire process went," said Billy Tubbs, Lamar director of athletics. "There was significant time and effort put forth by university faculty, staff and athletics department personnel as well as the community. I want to thank all of them for their service. This affirms our goal of sponsoring a successful, well-rounded athletics program of which the students, faculty, staff and alumni of the university can be proud."
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. Lamar conducted its campus-wide self-study in 2008. The university was previously certified in 1998.
A designation of certified means that an institution operates its athletics program in substantial conformity with operating principles adopted by the 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 members of the Committee on Athletics Certification are: Robert Bernardi, Nicholls State University; McKinley Boston Jr., New Mexico State University; Ann Carr, Mississippi State University; Casey Comoroski, Missouri State University; Beatrice Crane Banford, Marshall University; Tom Douple; Summit League; Amy Folan, University of Texas at Austin; 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; and Allison Rich, California State University, Fullerton.
