NCAA Division I Athletics Certification

Welcome to the United States Military Academy NCAA Division I Athletics Certification Homepage. Athletics certification helps ensure the commitment to integrity in intercollegiate athletics of NCAA member institutions. The program achieves this goal by:

• Opening the affairs of athletics to the university community and public
• Setting standards for the operation of Division I athletics programs
• Putting tough sanctions in place for those institutions that do not conduct a comprehensive self-study or who fail to correct problems

The core of athletics certification is the institutional self-study that should provide self-awareness of goals and programs, affirmation of praiseworthy areas, and areas of suggested improvements of the athletics program. After completion of the self-study, a team of peer reviewers from other colleges, universities and conference offices will visit the institution to verify and evaluate the work. The Committee on Athletics Certification of the NCAA will then make the final certification decision.

The institutional self-study is based upon a set of standards called operating principles. They cover four basic areas:

• Governance and Commitment to Rules Compliance
• Academic Integrity
• Fiscal Integrity
• Commitment to Equity

As noted in the Superintendent's charge to the self-study steering committee (Word Version 6 Format), the certification process is also a chance for us to acknowledge the valuable contributions that athletics make to the accomplishment of the academy's mission and to improve where possible.  A self-study steering committee is responsible for the overall conduct of the process, and a subcommittee is established for each of the four basic areas. The final report will be forwarded to the NCAA in February 1999 and a peer review evaluation visit will occur in April 1999. The NCAA circa September 1999 will reach a final certification decision.  

How Can I Help?

The self-study is to be open and involve all aspects of the West Point community.  Here are three ways to give your opinion or observation on one or more of the four areas above, or on NCAA athletics at USMA in general:

1. Contact a Committee Member (Click to see committee structure in MS Word 6.0 Format)
2. Attend a steering or subcommittee meeting (Click here to see schedule)
3. Click here to provide electronic comments to the appropriate subcommittee chair or the steering committee chair.

This page is maintained by MAJ Joseph H. Sullivan, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science