NCAA certifies university’s athletics program

COLUMBUS – NCAA officials have notified Ohio State President Karen A. Holbrook that the university’s athletics program has been re-certified, indicating that the program operates “in substantial conformity with principles adopted by the association’s Division I membership.”

Holbrook received the letter Nov. 19 following action taken by the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification during its meeting Oct. 22 and 23.

The certification follows the university’s self-study, in which four committees broadly representative of faculty, staff, students and the community comprehensively reviewed the athletic operation’s overall integrity and compliance. The process also included a visit April 13-16 from a peer-review team made up of representatives from other colleges, universities and conference offices. The team then reported back to the NCAA’s Certification Committee. The university first was certified in 1996 following a similar process.

Holbrook said earning re-certification from the NCAA is good news for the university and testament to how seriously university officials take all aspects of compliance with NCAA guidelines. “The self-study process was comprehensive and open, and gave us an opportunity to review all of the systems we have in place. The objective is to be continually improving and enhancing the environment in which our student-athletes learn and compete,” she said.

The process began in November 2001, when the university appointed a 26-member steering committee and accompanying subcommittees with responsibility for completing the self-study. The committee was chaired by Virginia M. Trethewey, executive assistant to the president and general counsel, and David O. Frantz, secretary of the Board of Trustees and professor of English.
Specific areas under review were academic integrity, fiscal integrity, governance and rules compliance and the program’s commitment to equity, student-athlete welfare and sportsmanship.

Director of Athletics Andy Geiger, who also served on the steering committee, said he is extremely pleased that the university has been re-certified. He said he especially appreciates the work of a significant number of faculty, staff and students – more than 90 in all – who were involved in the process. “We take great pride in our program, and I am grateful to everyone who worked so hard to make sure that we achieved this re-certification.”