The University of New Mexico

NEWS RELEASE

 


Media contact: Susan McKinsey, 277-1989
Greg Remington, 925-5525

August 1, 2006

UNM Athletics Awarded Ten-Year NCAA Certification

Intercollegiate athletics at the University of New Mexico has won NCAA certification for the next 10 years, UNM and the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification announced today. The Committee issued the certification with no conditions.

“This is an outstanding accomplishment,” said Acting UNM President David Harris. “To be granted certification with no conditions means the quality and integrity of the UNM athletics program is recognized and applauded by peers on a national level.”

Harris said the certification is a real tribute to all the hard work of the Athletic Department, student athletes, and the faculty and staff who work with them. He also commended the committee of faculty, staff, students, student athletes, alumni and community members who guided the process over an 18-month period.

A comprehensive self-evaluation covered areas like academic integrity, governance, commitment to rules compliance, and commitment to equity and student athlete welfare. In addition, an external team of peer reviewers conducted a two-day evaluation visit before reporting back to the Committee on Athletics Certification.

The certification program's purpose is to help ensure integrity in the institution's athletics operations. It opens up athletics to the rest of the university community and to the public. In so doing, the university benefits by increasing campus-wide awareness and knowledge of the athletics program, both confirming its strengths and identifying areas of concern for improvement.

"The NCAA certification process is exhaustive and thorough and to receive certification without conditions says a lot about the way this department has been run in the past," said athletics director Paul Krebs.  "It's a testament to the coaches and staff at the University of New Mexico."

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The University of New Mexico is the state's largest university, serving more than 32,000 students. UNM is home to the state's only schools of law, medicine, pharmacy and architecture and operates New Mexico's only academic health center. UNM is noted for comprehensive undergraduate programs and research that benefits the state and the nation.

www.unm.edu