Post by ValpoHoops on Aug 30, 2006 15:18:19 GMT -5
IPFW accepts invitation to join Mid-Continent Conference
ELMHURST, ILL. — Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) has accepted an invitation to become a member of the Mid-Continent Conference, Commissioner Tom Douple announced today at a press conference on the IPFW campus in Fort Wayne, Ind. IPFW will begin league competition in the 2007-08 academic year, and will be immediately eligible to compete for conference championships and NCAA berths.
“After a great deal of study, the Mid-Continent Conference invited IPFW to become a member because it was the right decision for the future of the conference,” Douple said. “IPFW will make the Mid-Con a better conference, and we are extremely excited to include this fine institution in our conference.”
The Mid-Con Presidents Council voted unanimously on August 30 to extend an invitation for membership to IPFW, which formally accepted the invitation at the press conference this afternoon. The level of excitement on campus tied in with this announcement has not been seen for some time.
“IPFW’s sports programs readily complement those in the Mid-Continent Conference,” Douple said. “They are a good fit and we look forward to an enduring relationship with these athletic competitors.”
IPFW offers programs in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, and men’s and women’s volleyball. Of those sports, only men’s volleyball is currently not sponsored by the Mid-Con.
“Over the years, IPFW has committed itself to having a strong NCAA Division I athletics program, and has made the commitment to financially support the program, provide very good facilities, and hire outstanding coaches,” Douple said. “This gives me every reason to believe that IPFW will be very competitive not only within the Mid-Con, but against all other opponents as well.”
Dr. Al Goldfarb, President of Western Illinois University and Chair of the Mid-Con Presidents Council, confirmed Douple’s thoughts.
“IPFW is a growing institution with a mix of athletic programs that closely matches the array of programs of our members in the Mid-Continent Conference,” Goldfarb said. “Because of the institutional stability, a commitment to both academics and athletics and the quality of facilities, including the new planned facilities, IPFW is an excellent addition to the Mid-Continent Conference.”
With a full-time undergraduate enrollment of 7,822, IPFW has expanded considerably since Indiana University and Purdue University opened the combined campus in 1964. It was IPFW’s commitment to a continued expansion of its athletics programs, a process that began when it made the move to NCAA Division I in 2000, that solidified the opinions of the league’s presidents and made the vote to extend membership to IPFW a unanimous decision.
“It was obvious during the site visit that IPFW has a strong institutional commitment to the Mid-Continent Conference,” said Myndee Larsen, Southern Utah University Senior Woman Administrator. “It is a university that holds its athletic programs and student-athletes to a high standard which will complement and enhance our current conference membership. The quality of academic success of the student-athletes mirrors the hard work and determination of the University’s leadership.”
“The addition of IPFW will certainly enhance both the long-term stability and the overall strength of the Mid-Continent Conference,” said Dr. Tim Van Alstine, Athletics Director at Western Illinois University and Chair of the Mid-Con Joint Council. “IPFW has shown a commitment to continued improvement in both the academic and athletic realms, and that commitment will help IPFW be competitive in the Mid-Continent Conference and at the Division I level.”
“The review of IPFW during the expansion process by the conference was the most intensive and far-reaching study for prospective membership in conference history,” Douple said. “We visited with more than 150 constituents ranging from administrators and faculty members to students and community leaders. I was impressed by the high level of commitment to the conference that was expressed by all involved.”
TRANSACTIONS: Mid-Continent Conference --- Announced that Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) will join the conference effective July 1, 2007.
ELMHURST, ILL. — Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) has accepted an invitation to become a member of the Mid-Continent Conference, Commissioner Tom Douple announced today at a press conference on the IPFW campus in Fort Wayne, Ind. IPFW will begin league competition in the 2007-08 academic year, and will be immediately eligible to compete for conference championships and NCAA berths.
“After a great deal of study, the Mid-Continent Conference invited IPFW to become a member because it was the right decision for the future of the conference,” Douple said. “IPFW will make the Mid-Con a better conference, and we are extremely excited to include this fine institution in our conference.”
The Mid-Con Presidents Council voted unanimously on August 30 to extend an invitation for membership to IPFW, which formally accepted the invitation at the press conference this afternoon. The level of excitement on campus tied in with this announcement has not been seen for some time.
“IPFW’s sports programs readily complement those in the Mid-Continent Conference,” Douple said. “They are a good fit and we look forward to an enduring relationship with these athletic competitors.”
IPFW offers programs in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, and men’s and women’s volleyball. Of those sports, only men’s volleyball is currently not sponsored by the Mid-Con.
“Over the years, IPFW has committed itself to having a strong NCAA Division I athletics program, and has made the commitment to financially support the program, provide very good facilities, and hire outstanding coaches,” Douple said. “This gives me every reason to believe that IPFW will be very competitive not only within the Mid-Con, but against all other opponents as well.”
Dr. Al Goldfarb, President of Western Illinois University and Chair of the Mid-Con Presidents Council, confirmed Douple’s thoughts.
“IPFW is a growing institution with a mix of athletic programs that closely matches the array of programs of our members in the Mid-Continent Conference,” Goldfarb said. “Because of the institutional stability, a commitment to both academics and athletics and the quality of facilities, including the new planned facilities, IPFW is an excellent addition to the Mid-Continent Conference.”
With a full-time undergraduate enrollment of 7,822, IPFW has expanded considerably since Indiana University and Purdue University opened the combined campus in 1964. It was IPFW’s commitment to a continued expansion of its athletics programs, a process that began when it made the move to NCAA Division I in 2000, that solidified the opinions of the league’s presidents and made the vote to extend membership to IPFW a unanimous decision.
“It was obvious during the site visit that IPFW has a strong institutional commitment to the Mid-Continent Conference,” said Myndee Larsen, Southern Utah University Senior Woman Administrator. “It is a university that holds its athletic programs and student-athletes to a high standard which will complement and enhance our current conference membership. The quality of academic success of the student-athletes mirrors the hard work and determination of the University’s leadership.”
“The addition of IPFW will certainly enhance both the long-term stability and the overall strength of the Mid-Continent Conference,” said Dr. Tim Van Alstine, Athletics Director at Western Illinois University and Chair of the Mid-Con Joint Council. “IPFW has shown a commitment to continued improvement in both the academic and athletic realms, and that commitment will help IPFW be competitive in the Mid-Continent Conference and at the Division I level.”
“The review of IPFW during the expansion process by the conference was the most intensive and far-reaching study for prospective membership in conference history,” Douple said. “We visited with more than 150 constituents ranging from administrators and faculty members to students and community leaders. I was impressed by the high level of commitment to the conference that was expressed by all involved.”
TRANSACTIONS: Mid-Continent Conference --- Announced that Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) will join the conference effective July 1, 2007.
