GLIAC Receives Membership Applications From Lake Erie College and Ohio Dominican University
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BAY CITY, Mich.
— Tom Brown, Commissioner of the Great Lakes
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), has announced that the
conference has officially received letters of application for
membership from Lake Erie College and Ohio Dominican University. If
accepted, the two Ohio-based schools could begin their membership
in the GLIAC as early as the 2010-11 academic year.
The applicants now have 30 days to submit the required information
to the conference office. Once that information is received, the
conference will send a visitation team to each of the campuses this
spring. Upon completion of its on-campus reviews, the visitation
team will make reports on each institution to the GLIAC Executive
Council.
Lake Erie and Ohio Dominican will then be invited to the
GLIAC’s Executive Council meeting in June of 2009 in Gaylord,
Michigan, to make formal presentations to the governing body of the
conference and respond to the visitation team’s reports. The
Executive Council will then forward its recommendations to the
GLIAC Presidents’ Council at its annual meeting, later in
June.
Lake Erie is transitioning into Division II of the NCAA during the
2008-09 academic year and is considered a provisional member. LEC
first began the transition process during the 2006-07 academic year
when it started the two-year exploratory phase. Founded in 1856,
Lake Erie currently has over 1,200 students and will offer 20
varsity sports in 2009-10. Located in Painesville, Ohio, LEC is an
independent, liberal arts institution that challenges its
student’s to, “get in and stand out” in
academics, athletics and student activities. With 29 undergraduate
majors offered and the option to design an individualized major to
fit career and academic goals, Lake Erie’s innovative
learning experiences focus on helping students to learn, grow and
succeed.
Ohio Dominican, located in Columbus, Ohio, became an NCAA Division
II exploratory member on Sept. 1, 2008, and currently offers 14
intercollegiate sports. Founded in the Dominican tradition in 1911,
Ohio Dominican is a four-year liberal arts institution. With over
3,100 students and offering undergraduate degrees in 50 majors, ODU
uses a student-oriented approach, with a commitment to quality
teaching and learning and a number of academic programs of
distinction.
“We are excited about the prospect of adding the Columbus
and Cleveland, Ohio areas as additional recruiting bases to the
GLIAC,” stated GLIAC Commissioner, Tom Brown. “Our
ultimate goal is to expand to 16 members and this is the first step
in that process.”
Founded in 1972, the GLIAC has been a leader in the advancement
and promotion of intercollegiate athletics for men and women for 37
years. The league currently boasts 12 full members, nine of which
are located in Michigan, and three in Ohio. The league’s Ohio
institutions include Ashland University, the University of Findlay,
and Tiffin University, which is in its first year of membership.
The GLIAC’s members in Michigan include: Ferris State
University, Grand Valley State University, Hillsdale College, Lake
Superior State University, Michigan Technological University,
Northern Michigan University, Northwood University, Saginaw Valley
State University, and Wayne State University.
The GLIAC conducts championships in 20 sports, 10 for men and 10
for women. The GLIAC Executive Council is comprised of three
representatives from each institution - its director of athletics,
senior woman administrator, and faculty athletics representative.
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