ATLANTA – Collegiate Consulting applauds several of its client institutions for their successful appeals for NCAA Division II Membership.
This week the Management Council overturned a previous decision to deny NCAA Division II membership to both Emmanuel College and Southern Wesleyan University. The appeals victory is unprecedented and a first for institutions seeking to join Division II.
“The presidents, their athletic departments and institutions are to be commended for their hard work and commitment to this process and NCAA Division II,” stated Collegiate Consulting Chief Operating Officer Heather Ould. “These institutions will be fantastic additions to Conference Carolinas and both bring unique assets to Division II.
“Emmanuel offers many brand new athletic facilities on campus to support their varsity teams including separate volleyball and basketball arenas and bowling alley, as well as new soccer and lacrosse fields,” Ould continued. “Southern Wesleyan’s outstanding compliance program, which includes online training for faculty and staff members on campus, has caught the interest of both NCAA Division I and II institutions as a great model for education, and their new complex for track and soccer will be one of the finest in the South. Those are just a couple of examples of many more outstanding qualities and features of each of these institutions.”
Earlier in the month the Membership Committee overturned its previous decision regarding both Lee University and Mississippi College, allowing MC to advance into year one and Lee to year two of the Division II membership process. Both institutions will compete in the Gulf South Conference with Lee beginning conference play this season.
Collegiate Consulting developed feasibility studies for all four institutions prior to their initial application to NCAA Division II and provided support for each institutions appeal. Previously, Mississippi College was a member of NCAA Division III, while the other institutions were members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).