July 10, 2009
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -
By Gary Brown, The NCAA News
Simon Fraser University became the first institution outside the United States to enter the NCAA membership process after the Division II Membership Committee accepted the institution's application during a July 7-9 meeting in Indianapolis.
Simon Fraser, located in Burnaby, British Columbia, will begin a two-year candidacy period September 1. Prospective members also must complete at least one year of provisional status before being accepted as full-time Division II members, meaning the Canadian institution could become an active Division II member by fall 2012.
The NCAA Executive Committee approved a 10-year pilot program in 2007 to allow the Association to explore the idea, and Division II delegates overwhelmingly approved legislation at the 2008 Convention to open the door to its northern neighbors.
"We're excited about having Simon Fraser working toward joining a unique group of institutions that have strong values and are continuously striving to enhance what it means to be a Division II member," said Division II Vice President Mike Racy.
Simon Fraser has explored potential membership in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, composed primarily of members with which Simon Fraser already has established competitive rivalries. Conference members include Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks, Central Washington, Montana State Billings, Northwest Nazarene, Saint Martin's, Seattle Pacific, Western Oregon and Western Washington.
"No one would dispute that the highest level of intercollegiate sport in North America is played at the NCAA, and that's where we want to be," Athletics Director David Murphy told Champion magazine in January. "We're a Division II fit in philosophy, with our emphasis on student-athlete balance, facilities and level of athletics competition."
Simon Fraser was one of several institutions whose applications for Division II membership were selected this week. Others will be announced later Friday.
INDIANAPOLIS -- In an important step towards having its first Canadian member school, the NCAA has accepted Simon Fraser University's application for Division II membership. Simon Fraser is the first school north of the United States to apply for membership. The institution will be part of a 10-year pilot program approved at the 2008 NCAA Convention.
Simon Fraser, located in Burnaby, British Columbia, was one of 15 schools and the only Canadian university applying for Division II membership for the 2009-2010 academic year. Simon Fraser will now enter a two-year candidacy period and must complete at least one provisional year before achieving active status.
"We're excited to have Simon Fraser working toward joining a unique group of institutions that have strong values and are continuously working to enhance what it means to be a Division II member," said Mike Racy, NCAA vice president of Division II. "We're looking forward to new competition for our Northwest institutions as Division II continues to be a membership destination for colleges and universities."
The university met a set of minimum expectations set by the Division II Membership Committee to ensure applicants are adequately prepared to enter and progress through the membership process effectively. Among others, these requirements include minimum sports sponsorship, adequate commitment of personnel and resources, as well as a strategic vision for the intercollegiate athletics program.
In January 2008, Division II members voted in an overwhelming majority to adopt NCAA legislation to allow Canadian colleges and universities to explore the possibility of becoming an Association member. Division II currently is the only NCAA division with rules in place that would allow Canadian colleges and universities to become members. The pilot program permits the NCAA and interested Canadian schools to explore the logistical and practical challenges and opportunities for Division II membership.
Division II places strong value in learning, service, balance, passion, resourcefulness and sportsmanship. The division revamped its platform in 2007 and continues with the goal of enhancing the experience that is unique to Division II student-athletes. An integral part of this identity platform for the division includes fostering a positive game environment among its members. It also includes the community-engagement initiative which intends for Division II institutions and their communities to mutually elevate their support of one another.
NCAA Division II is one of three membership divisions at the National Collegiate Athletic Association, a volunteer organization comprising more than 1,200 institutions, conferences and affiliated organizations. Division II is a group of institutions, conferences and affiliated organizations that serves more than 75,000 student-athletes nationwide, including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The emphasis for the student-athlete experience in Division II is a comprehensive program of learning and development. The Division II approach provides growth opportunities through academic achievement, learning in high-level athletic competition and the development of societal attitudes in service to the community. The balance and integration of these different areas of learning provide Division II student-athletes with a path to graduation while cultivating a variety of skills and knowledge for life ahead.
NCAA Accepts Simon Fraser Membership Application
Simon Fraser University has become the first institution outside the United States to enter the NCAA membership process after the Division II Membership Committee accepted the institution's application during a meeting this week in Indianapolis.
SFU will begin a two-year candidacy period Sept. 1. Prospective members also must complete at least one year of provisional status before being accepted as full-time Division II members, meaning the Canadian institution could become an active Division II member by fall 2012.
It is now expected Simon Fraser will apply for membership in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The GNAC currently has nine full-fledged members - Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks, Central Washington, Montana State Billings, Northwest Nazarene, Saint Martin's, Seattle Pacific, Western Oregon and Western Washington - in five different states. In addition Humboldt State (Calif.) and Dixie State (Utah) are affiliate members in football only.
Simon Fraser sponsors 19 sports including 14 of the 15 sports in which the GNAC competes. The only GNAC sport in which SFU doesn't currently compete is baseball. In addition to the 14 GNAC sports, SFU also sponsors teams in men's swimming, women's swimming, women's golf, men's wrestling and women's wrestling.
"We're excited about having Simon Fraser working toward joining a unique group of institutions that have strong values and are continuously striving to enhance what it means to be a Division II member," said Division II Vice President Mike Racy.
"This is an exciting time for the NCAA Division II, SFU and the GNAC," GNAC Commissioner Richard Hannan said. "I am eagerly looking forward to their application for membership in the GNAC. I anticipate a positive reaction from all of our members and look forward to SFU becoming an integral part of our conference. SFU will provide us with another quality institution, both academically and athletically."
Simon Fraser has had a long-time athletic relationship dating back to the mid 1960s with many of the current GNAC member institutions.
"Personally I have had an excellent experience with SFU during a lengthy relationship dating back to the days of their legendary Athletic Director Lorne Davies some of their outstanding coaches, including Stan Stewardson and one of their many outstanding basketball players in Jay Triano," Hannan said.
Triano is currently the head coach of the NBA Toronto Raptors and a former Clan basketball star and coach. "Competing in the United States is what, in my mind, separated SFU from the rest of Canada when I chose to attend the school as a student-athlete as well as when I began my coaching career there," Triano said.
"No one would dispute that the highest level of intercollegiate sport in North America is played at the NCAA, and that's where we want to be," SFU athletics director David Murphy said.. "We're a Division II fit in philosophy, with our emphasis on student-athlete balance, facilities and level of athletics competition.
"It's humbling to know we have been chosen as the first foreign university to compete in the NCAA as a member. I believe we are reaching back to the original intentions and philosophy of the university's founders: to offer a great Canadian education with the ability to compete athletically in the NCAA."
"This is a first for a Canadian university, and it reflects SFU's long history of competing in U.S. varsity associations and conferences," said SFU President Michael Stevenson.
"It means a high level of competition and challenge for our athletes. As has always been the case, our primary concern is that our athletes succeed as students. The NCAA has strong academic requirements and we will maintain the high academic standards that SFU has always demanded from all Clan teams," Stevenson added.
Simon Fraser University wins NCAA entry as first non-U.S. member
By Lyndon Little, Vancouver Sun
Vancouver, B.C. --- Somewhere Dr. Gordon Shrum must be smiling.
The first chancellor of Simon Fraser University and a great supporter of college athletics who passed away in 1985, Dr. Shrum got a little carried away when, at the school's founding in 1965, he famously predicted that one day the SFU football team would challenge for the Rose Bowl.
Given the realities of big-time U.S. college football, that's never going to happen. But Dr. Shrum would doubtlessly have been delighted Friday when the announcement came out of Indianapolis that SFU has been accepted as the first non-U.S. school in the 99-year history of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
"This is a first for a Canadian university, and it reflects SFU's long history of competing in U.S. varsity associations and conferences," SFU President Michael Stevenson said in a statement. "It means a high level of competition and challenge for our athletes. As has always been the case, our primary concern is that our athletes succeed as students. The NCAA has strong academic requirements and we will maintain the high academic standards that SFU has always demanded from all Clan teams."
"It's exciting to be the first, but it's not about me. I just happened to be here when it happened," added SFU athletic director Dr. David Murphy, who steered the school through the application process. "It's humbling to know we have been chosen as the first foreign university to compete in the NCAA as a member. I believe we are reaching back to the original intentions and philosophy of the university's founders: to offer a great Canadian education with the ability to compete athletically in the NCAA."
It's also a proud moment for Lorne Davies, the first SFU athletic director and first head football coach.
"It's the most important step in SFU athletic history," commented Davies. "The athletics department is keeping in step with the university's commitment to provide excellence in education and athletics and to challenge our students and student athletes to be the best."
Also pleased with the news is one of the Clan sport's most high-profile alumni, Jay Triano, head coach of the NBA's Toronto Raptors.
"To be the best, athletes need to compete against the best and I believe that by joining the NCAA, Simon Fraser University is putting themselves in a position to do just that," he said. "On top of that, the student athletes who attend SFU will also benefit from the world-class education that the school provides. As a proud alumnus, I couldn't be happier for everyone involved."
Now they are in the NCAA the final step for SFU is to be accepted by the Great Northern Athletic Conference -- a Div-2 group spread over five States (Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho). That, however, is expected to be just a rubber stamp as the GNAC has been championing the SFU application every step of the way.
Some of the GNAC schools SFU will be competing against include Central and Western Washington, Seattle Pacific University plus Alaska-Fairbanks and Alaska-Anchorage.
GNAC commissioner Richard Hannan said Friday from Spokane he'd like to see SFU's phase-in process fast-tracked so the school could play a full conference schedule by 2010-11. However, Dr. Murphy believes 2011-12 is more realistic.
"There are a lot of compliance and eligibility issues to work through," says the former Halifax dental surgeon who took up his post at SFU last year.
Other issues that remain unresolved include what will happen to all the SFU-UBC rivalries. The Point Grey school is also considering a possible move to the NCAA, but has deferred any decision on applying for at least another year. Whether the annual Shrum Bowl football game between UBC and SFU will continue and in what format remains to be worked out.
