University Southern California Trojans
USC Receives NCAA Certification
May 19, 2005 | USC Athletics
May 19, 2005
USC was one of 13 Division I schools that received NCAA certification, the NCAA announced today.
These schools underwent the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification's second cycle of athletics certification.
A designation of "certified" means that an institution operates its athletics program in substantial conformity with operating principles adopted by the Division I membership.
The purpose of athletics certification is to ensure integrity in the institution's athletics program and to assist institutions in improving their athletics departments. NCAA legislation mandating athletics certification was adopted in 1993.
The certification process, which is a self-study led by an institution's chief executive officer, includes a review of these primary components: governance and commitment to rules compliance; academic integrity; equity; and student-athlete welfare.
Besides USC, the following universities were certified today: Birmingham-Southern, Boise State, Charleston Southern, Cleveland State, Colorado State, Colorado, High Point, Indiana, Lipscomb, Northwestern, St. Bonaventure and Western Illinois University.
In addition, three Division I institutions have been certified with conditions: Arkansas, Delaware State and New Orleans.
This "certified with conditions" classification means that the institution is considered to be operating its athletics program in substantial conformity with operating principles adopted by the NCAA's Division I membership. However, problems identified during the course of the institution's self-study and the peer-review team's evaluation were considered serious enough by the Committee on Athletics Certification to cause it to withhold full certification until those problems have been corrected.
The second round of athletics certifications is being completed on a 10-year cycle rather than the five-year cycle used during the initial certification process. All 326 active Division I members participate in the certification process.
The Division I Committee on Athletics Certification preliminarily reviews an institution's certification materials and provides a list of issues identified during the evaluation. The university then has a period of approximately one year to respond in writing to the issues before a final certification decision is rendered. An institution's failure to satisfactorily respond to the committee may negatively impact certification status.
