Post by bigsmooth on Sept 27, 2005 20:32:51 GMT -5
N.C. Central University a member of the D-2 CIAA, will decide by december to join the MEAC. this would bring their football membership to 10 schools, and other sports to 12 schools. is the MEAC possibly bracing for an exodus of some other schools, or are they just joining the expansion party? Winston-Salem St. is thinking of making the jump to I-A as well...who knows. the expansion saga continues.
NCCU advised to go I-AA
By RACHEL CARTER, Staff Writer
DURHAM -- N.C. Central received a recommendation Monday that the school increase its athletics spending and move to the Division I-AA Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
A feasibility study, conducted by New York-based Inter-Collegiate Athletic Consulting, concluded that moving to the MEAC would be in the school's best interest to help it reach its goal of raising its academic profile.
The study was presented Monday at a meeting of NCCU's Board of Trustees' Trustee-Student Relations Committee.
The full board meets today and is not scheduled to make a decision. If N.C. Central wants to begin the move to Division I-AA this year, it must tell the NCAA by Dec. 1. The board will decide what action to take in its November meetings.
"I think we have a responsibility here to create the best environment that we can for our students and for the institution," N.C. Central chancellor James Ammons said. "And I think we're going about it in the right way. Having the study done, having opportunity for input and in November, I'll bring a recommendation to the board."
Ammons said he didn't know how the board was going to vote, but some trustees said they would support a MEAC move. Other trustees have questions they want answered. They are still interested in hearing from NCCU students, fans and alumni.
But if Monday's meeting was any indication, the move seems to be a popular choice. The meeting room was packed -- leading committee chair Glenn Adams to remark it was the biggest crowd for his committee.
One of NCCU's biggest reasons for looking to make a move is to help increase its applicant pool. Andrew Fellingham, who presented the study for Inter-Collegiate Athletic Consulting, told the committee that the MEAC was simply a better fit for N.C. Central because the schools were already competing for the same students.
Fellingham told NCCU that moving to the MEAC would cost the school $5.402 million for its annual operating budget. In 2004, NCCU spent $2.228 million on its athletics budget. Fellingham's estimate is based on 2004 expenses.
The study also looked moving to Division I-AA SWAC or staying in Division II CIAA and pumping in enough money to make the program competitive nationally. Although both options were less expensive than the MEAC option, they were rejected because they didn't do enough to raise the school's academic profile.
"This is another step in the movement of the university," said trustee Edward Stewart of Durham. "It's everybody -- it's not just athletic. I think everybody is looking at it as an athletic move, but this is also an academic move."
Fellingham said one way N.C. Central could raise money for a higher annual budget is to play a "guarantee," or what he called a "rent-a-beating." A guarantee is when a school is paid to play a opponent, usually with the understanding that the school will be greatly overmatched.
For example, if NCCU contracted a football game at Division I-A Virginia Tech, the Eagles would have little chance to win, but would receive a sturdy paycheck.
N.C. Central athletics director Bill Hayes said he has already talked to the athletics directors at North Carolina and Duke, as well as Division I-AA teams from outside of the MEAC. Hayes isn't interested in "renting a beating" but said those rivalries are natural.
While there were some concerns expressed about leaving the CIAA, which N.C. Central helped found, many in attendance said that the school's needs were more important.
"I love the CIAA," said junior Austin Chalmers, who is the head drum major for the marching band. "But I think we need to move on to bigger and better things."
NCCU advised to go I-AA
By RACHEL CARTER, Staff Writer
DURHAM -- N.C. Central received a recommendation Monday that the school increase its athletics spending and move to the Division I-AA Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
A feasibility study, conducted by New York-based Inter-Collegiate Athletic Consulting, concluded that moving to the MEAC would be in the school's best interest to help it reach its goal of raising its academic profile.
The study was presented Monday at a meeting of NCCU's Board of Trustees' Trustee-Student Relations Committee.
The full board meets today and is not scheduled to make a decision. If N.C. Central wants to begin the move to Division I-AA this year, it must tell the NCAA by Dec. 1. The board will decide what action to take in its November meetings.
"I think we have a responsibility here to create the best environment that we can for our students and for the institution," N.C. Central chancellor James Ammons said. "And I think we're going about it in the right way. Having the study done, having opportunity for input and in November, I'll bring a recommendation to the board."
Ammons said he didn't know how the board was going to vote, but some trustees said they would support a MEAC move. Other trustees have questions they want answered. They are still interested in hearing from NCCU students, fans and alumni.
But if Monday's meeting was any indication, the move seems to be a popular choice. The meeting room was packed -- leading committee chair Glenn Adams to remark it was the biggest crowd for his committee.
One of NCCU's biggest reasons for looking to make a move is to help increase its applicant pool. Andrew Fellingham, who presented the study for Inter-Collegiate Athletic Consulting, told the committee that the MEAC was simply a better fit for N.C. Central because the schools were already competing for the same students.
Fellingham told NCCU that moving to the MEAC would cost the school $5.402 million for its annual operating budget. In 2004, NCCU spent $2.228 million on its athletics budget. Fellingham's estimate is based on 2004 expenses.
The study also looked moving to Division I-AA SWAC or staying in Division II CIAA and pumping in enough money to make the program competitive nationally. Although both options were less expensive than the MEAC option, they were rejected because they didn't do enough to raise the school's academic profile.
"This is another step in the movement of the university," said trustee Edward Stewart of Durham. "It's everybody -- it's not just athletic. I think everybody is looking at it as an athletic move, but this is also an academic move."
Fellingham said one way N.C. Central could raise money for a higher annual budget is to play a "guarantee," or what he called a "rent-a-beating." A guarantee is when a school is paid to play a opponent, usually with the understanding that the school will be greatly overmatched.
For example, if NCCU contracted a football game at Division I-A Virginia Tech, the Eagles would have little chance to win, but would receive a sturdy paycheck.
N.C. Central athletics director Bill Hayes said he has already talked to the athletics directors at North Carolina and Duke, as well as Division I-AA teams from outside of the MEAC. Hayes isn't interested in "renting a beating" but said those rivalries are natural.
While there were some concerns expressed about leaving the CIAA, which N.C. Central helped found, many in attendance said that the school's needs were more important.
"I love the CIAA," said junior Austin Chalmers, who is the head drum major for the marching band. "But I think we need to move on to bigger and better things."
