Missouri State University

Aug. 18, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification announced decisions today (Aug. 18) concerning the athletics certification status of 28 member institutions. Missouri State University has been fully certified through successful completion and review of its Cycle 3 self-study.

The certified designation denotes that Missouri State operates its athletics program in full compliance with the operating principles adopted by the Division I membership.

"Anytime you get an endorsement of your program from one of your national governing agencies, it is an accomplishment worth noting," said Missouri State Interim President Clif Smart.  "We are very proud of the balance and integrity with which our intercollegiate athletics program operates.  As a University, we benefited from completing the self-study process, and we very much appreciate gaining full certification from the NCAA."

Legislation mandating certification was adopted for all active Division I schools in 1993 to ensure the integrity of each member institution’s athletics program, while assisting institutions with improvements when necessary. To complete the certification process, each institution had to complete a self-study led by its president or chancellor. The self-study instrument includes a thorough review of these primary components: governance and commitment to rules compliance; academic integrity; gender/diversity issues; and student-athlete well-being.

Missouri State Director of Athletics Kyle Moats said he was very pleased with the NCAA announcement and noted the many collaborative efforts that made full certification a reality.

"I am grateful for the hard work of the steering committee and the sub-committee members on campus who worked countless hours to complete this process," Moats said. "I especially want to thank our chair Sue George and senior associate AD Casey Comoroski for taking ownership in this process on behalf of Missouri State University. They championed this effort from the very first day, and their dedication has ensured our inclusion in this cycle’s NCAA certification class.”

Each member institution is to complete a self-study at least once every 10 years.  As a Cycle 3 institution, Missouri State has now completed three NCAA certification steps, receiving full certification in previous self-study efforts in 1996 and 2003.

George, a Missouri State professor in Childhood Education and Family Studies chaired the MSU Certification Steering Committee. She noted her gratitude for the work of the 45 faculty, staff, students and community members who assisted during the 18 months of preparing the voluminous report.

"Being part of the NCAA Athletics Certification process has confirmed the good work of our Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at Missouri State," said George. "My thanks go out to the members of the University community who worked hard to see this process through to its positive conclusion."

Joining Missouri State in Wednesday's NCAA certification announcement were fellow fully certified Division I institutions:

• • Appalachian State University
  • Butler University
  • Chicago State University
  • Coastal Carolina University
  • Florida International University
  • Georgetown University
  • Illinois State University
  • Iowa State University
  • Kansas State University
  • Long Beach State University
  • Long Island University- Brooklyn
  • Marist College
  • Miami University (Ohio)
  • Missouri State University
  • Monmouth University
  • Montana State University
  • Northeastern University
  • Saint Louis University
  • San Jose State University
  • Southeast Missouri State University
  • Tulane University
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Washington State University
  • University of California, Los Angeles
  • University of Illinois at Chicago
  • University of Montana
  • University of Texas Pan American.

In addition, the following institution was certified with conditions:
• Southern University, Baton Rouge.

The Division I Committee on Athletics Certification preliminarily reviews an institution’s certification materials and provides a list of issues identified during the evaluation.  Then, the university is assessed by a panel of peer reviewers who file a report regarding the institution’s resolution of the issues before a final certification decision is rendered. 

This cycle represents the last certifications started before a moratorium was placed on the program in April 2011 by the Division I Board of Directors. No active Division I members will begin the certification again until August of 2013.

Please click here to view the complete Missouri State University Self-Study report.

Members of the Missouri State community who participated in the Self-Study process were:

• Missouri State Steering Committee
  Sue George (chair)
  Ben Goss
  Diana Garland
  Renee Goodwin
  Roger Stoner
  Bruce Johnson
  Cindy Hail
  Mike Jungers
  Kent Regan
  Paula Wilhelm
  Emily Matthews
  Sarah McAllister
  Rick Kindhart
  Casey Comoroski
  Kyle Moats
  Clif Smart
  Dr. James Cofer
• Sub-Committee for Rules and Governance Compliance
  Kent Regan (chair)
  Stan Adamson
  Eric Ducourneau
  Brent Dunn
  Julie Ebersold
  Jack Hunter
  Jeremiah Mee
  Kevin Kane
  Kyle Moats
  Kyle Yates
• Sub-Committee for Academic Integrity
  Sarah McAllister (chair)
  Roger Stoner
  Jon Leamy
  Jonathan Casey
  Bonnie Shackter
  Bryan Hicks
  Tom Tomasi
  Dianna Garland
  Tiffany Akre
  Jim Hutter
  John Strong
• Sub-Committee for Gender Equity
  Paula Wilhelm (chair)
  Bruce Johnson
  Larry Catt
  Lorene Stone
  Emily Matthews
  Jana Estergard
• Sub-Committee for Diversity & Inclusion
  Cindy Hail (chair)
  Mike Casey
  Dave Collins
  Don Simpson
• Sub-Committee for Student-Athlete Well-Being
  Mike Jungers (chair)
  Jim Penkalski
  Heather King
  Ben Goss
  Penni Groves
  Michele Moulder
  Thomas Kane
  Terry Phillips
  Burnie Snodgrass