ALBANY, N.Y. -- The University at Albany plans to upgrade its intercollegiate athletics program for men and women to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I status, effective in the 1999-2000 academic year, as President Karen R. Hitchcock announced on Monday, May 5.

A recommendation to move to Division I was endorsed by the University Senate on April 7 in a 30-10 vote and recently accepted by President Hitchcock in consultation with the University Council and the Chancellor of the State University of New York. A formal proposal to reclassify the school's NCAA membership from Division II had been sent to the floor by the University Senate's Educational Policy Council. The University has until June 1 to make known its intentions in a declaration to the NCAA.

"I have instructed Dr. Milt Richards, our Director of Athletics, to immediately notify the NCAA of our intention to upgrade the intercollegiate athletics program to the Division I level," Hitchcock said. "We have strong academic support for our student-athletes, outstanding coaches and excellent athletic administrators. I am confident that the transition from Division II to Division I will be successful."

Vice President for Student Affairs James P. Doellefeld added," Athletic competition at the Division I level will enrich campus life, advance our connection with the Capital-Saratoga Region, and provide another rallying point for the University's students, alumni, faculty and friends."

"We will move this upgrade process forward while maintaining the school's academic standards, and continuing both a commitment to gender equity and support for recreational and intramural activities," Doellefeld said. "In addition, the University will not go beyond the current state funding allocated to this campus for Division II athletics in making this move to Division I."

The University's athletics program will immediately bring all of its policies and programs into compliance with NCAA Division I regulations. Albany sponsors eight men's teams, including football (Division I-AA), baseball, basketball, cross country, indoor track, lacrosse, outdoor track and soccer. The eleven women's teams are basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, indoor track, lacrosse, outdoor track, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball.

During the mandatory two-year transition period, Albany's eight men's and eleven women's varsity sports are ineligible for NCAA championship competition but may compete in ECAC post-season events. The men's and women's basketball teams will not participate in the New England Collegiate Conference tournament for the next two years as the conference champion receives an automatic berth in the NCAA Division II tournament field.

Albany, which competed at the college division level prior to the NCAA's restructuring in 1972, has an athletic history which dates back to the late 1890s when the first known intercollegiate teams arrived on campus. The athletic program moved from Division III to Division II in the 1995-96 academic year.

There are currently 19 Division I athletics programs in New York State. This list includes Syracuse, Buffalo, Army, St. John's, Colgate, Cornell, Columbia, St. Bonaventure, Fordham, Siena, Niagara, Canisius, Marist, Iona, Long Island, Manhattan, Hofstra, Wagner and St. Francis (NY).

The University at Albany was founded in 1844 as the state's first school for the training of teachers and the oldest chartered public institution of higher education in New York, and has evolved into one of the top research universities in the nation. Approximately 16,000 students are enrolled in eight-degree granting schools and colleges offering 220 academic programs from the bachelor's degree through the doctorate. Money Magazine has ranked Albany among the 25 "Best College Buys" in the nation for seven consecutive years.

Key Events in the University's Move to Division I

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