Dear Members of the University Community,
We are pleased to inform you that we have successfully completed two years of the required four-year reclassification to NCAA Division I. We are now in the final two years of our Institutional Performance Program (IPP) process that includes a thorough self-study of all aspects of our Athletics Program to make certain we are complying with the standards of Division I. The self-study is a requirement for all schools undergoing reclassification.
More than 75 UMass Lowell faculty, staff, students and alumni have been working since the spring of 2015 on the steering committee and three subcommittees to complete the study. These subcommittees are Governance and Rules Compliance, Academic Integrity, and Gender/ Diversity and Student-Athlete Well-Being. A list of the sub-committee members can be found on this website.
Once our campus will submit its completed self-study report in May 2016, and an NCAA peer review team will visit campus to assess the self-study and meet with campus staff and students in the fall of 2016. The peer review team will present its findings to the NCAA Administrative Cabinet for Reclassification Committee. If all goes well, our campus will be approved to elevate to full Division I status in March 2017.
The self-study process will be beneficial in identifying the strengths of our athletics program as well as opportunities for improvement. Many individuals across all areas of the campus have been called upon to participate in the study, and I thank everyone who has contributed to this important initiative.
We will continue to provide you with updates via our website.
Sincerely,
- Jacqueline Moloney
Chancellor - Don Pierson
Provost
Chair, NCAA IPP Steering Committee