Vanderbilt University has been certified by the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification. The NCAA announced Aug. 18 that Vanderbilt is among 28 member institutions in this latest cycle of the division’s athletics certification process.
A certified designation denotes that an institution operates its athletics program in compliance with operating principles adopted by the Division I membership.
Institutions undergoing the certification process must complete a self-study led by the institution’s president or chancellor and conduct a review of these primary components: governance and commitment to rules compliance; academic integrity; gender/diversity issues and student-athlete well-being. Each member institution is to complete a self-study at least once every 10 years. However, no active members will begin the certification until Aug. 1, 2013, because of the suspension of the certification program.
A moratorium was placed on the program in April 2011 by the Division I Board of Directors. In January 2011, NCAA leadership asked staff to evaluate the program to reduce the burden on institutions, increase cost-effectiveness and improve the overall value.
Legislation mandating certification was adopted for all active Division I schools in 1993 to ensure the integrity of each member institution’s athletics program, while assisting institutions with improvements when necessary.
The certification process is separate from the NCAA’s enforcement program, which investigates allegations of rules violations by NCAA member institutions. A decision of certified does not exempt an institution from concurrent or subsequent enforcement proceedings.
For more information visit www.ncaa.org.