NAIA Council of Presidents Votes to Approve Three New Members
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced on Tuesday that the Council of Presidents has approved the applications of three institutions for membership, which will be effective July 1, 2021. Formal approval was voted upon by the NAIA Council of Presidents (COP) on October 5 at the Fall NAIA COP Business Meeting. All three schools received unanimous recommendations from the NAIA Membership Committee.
New members include: Iowa Wesleyan University, Louisiana College and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (Ind.). Two of the three institutions, Iowa Wesleyan and Louisiana College, are exiting NCAA Division III and are both former NAIA members. Eight schools over the course of the last five years moved from the NCAA to the NAIA. Each of these schools have been approved for immediate reinstatement for NAIA postseason competition. Immediate reinstatement is a benefit afforded to former members that return to the NAIA. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods will join the NAIA from the United States Collegiate Athletics Association (USCAA).
This is the first vote as a part of a newly-created membership cycle, which allows schools to apply for NAIA membership mid-summer. This new cycle is designed to ease the transition for schools from other athletics associations.
“We are happy to welcome Iowa Wesleyan, Louisiana College and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods to the NAIA,” said Jim Carr, NAIA President and CEO. “These institutions are great representatives of the NAIA’s core values and will be great additions to their new conferences and to our association as a whole.”
The NAIA has shown to be a better fit for several NCAA DII and DIII schools. In some cases NAIA members are spending as much as 40% less than their counterparts in the NCAA, while still operating high-caliber athletics programs.
Iowa Wesleyan, from Mount Pleasant, Iowa, was last in the NAIA in the 2011-12 season. Of the three schools, the Tigers boast the most sports with 18 teams. The institution is currently in discussions about conference membership.
Louisiana College also returns to the NAIA and has been approved for membership in the Red River Athletic Conference. In the sport of football, the Wildcats will compete in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods has contacted the River States Conference about potential membership.
The NAIA also accepts new member applications with a deadline on October 1 for the following academic year. Schools must meet membership criteria that include financial stability, sports sponsorship, accreditation, and a commitment to character-driven athletics. Enrollment numbers, retention rates, and overall financial commitment to athletics are also taken into consideration.
ABOUT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS (NAIA) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. NAIA members provide more than 77,000 student-athletes with opportunities to play college sports, earn $800 million in scholarships and compete in 27 national championships. naia.org | @NAIA