With the five-year reclassification process to Division I (Football Championship Subdivision) now complete, UND is eligible to participate in Division I postseason competition beginning this fall.
"The University has been waiting for formal notification of its successful completion of the NCAA D-1 transition process. That notification arrived today," said UND President Robert O. Kelley. "This completes a significant milestone in the long tradition of UND athletics. The announcement signals a great deal of coming excitement as UND's teams compete in Big Sky Conference D-1 competition. UND extends a grateful note of thanks to the NCAA and to everyone who has been engaged in the transition process. Their hard work has built a solid foundation for continued success for our student athletes and the UND program for intercollegiate athletics."
In Thursday's letter to Kelley, Stephen Mallonee, the NCAA's Managing Director of Academic and Membership Affairs/Division I Governance Liaison, wrote, "It is my pleasure to inform you that the NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved the recommendation from the NCAA Division I Administration Cabinet to elect the University of North Dakota to Division I active membership effective September 1 (or the beginning of the 2012-13 academic year if earlier than September 1)."
Mallonee went on to write, "I congratulate you on your successful transition to Division I status and urge your institution to continue strengthening its commitment to meet all applicable Division I members requirements during the course of the 2012-13 academic year and thereafter."
"This marks a historic moment for UND Athletics," said UND Athletics Director Brian Faison. "This has been a long and involved process. It has clearly been a tremendous team effort involving hundreds of staff, student-athletes and administrators in the process. I want to thank our alumni and fans for their patience and support throughout these five years."
UND's transition to Division I has been highlighted by numerous successes in competition, in the classroom and in the community. Following its exploratory year of NCAA Division I members in 2007-08, UND captured 10 conference tournament championships and seven conference regular season championships at the Division I level while competing in the Great West Conference (GWC), Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), Western Athletic Conference (WAC), Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) and the America Sky Conference.
In the classroom, UND's 377 student-athletes emerged from the transition in 2011-12 with a grade point average of 3.173 that was the highest in UND Athletics history. Twelve student-athletes garnered Academic All-America honors during the five-year transition, while five earned prestigious NCAA postgraduate scholarships.
In addition to balancing the demands of athletics and academics, UND's student-athletes logged between 6,000 and 7,000 hours of community service in each of the last two years.
UND's 2012-13 Conference Affiliations
America Sky Conference: Men's golf
Big Sky Conference (BSC): Men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, women's golf, women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, volleyball
Great West Conference (GWC): Baseball
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF): Men's swimming and diving
Western Athletic Conference (WAC): Women's swimming and diving (affiliate member)
Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA): Men's and women's hockey
