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North Dakota State University accepts invitation to join Mid-Continent Conference
ELMHURST, ILL. — North Dakota State University (NDSU) has accepted an invitation to become a member of the Mid-Continent Conference, Commissioner Tom Douple announced today at a press conference on the NDSU campus in Fargo, N.D. North Dakota State will begin league competition in the 2007-08 academic year, and will be immediately eligible to compete for conference championships.
“The Mid-Continent Conference is pleased to invite North Dakota State University as a member of the conference,” Douple said. “NDSU will make the Mid-Con a better conference, and we are extremely excited to include this great institution in our conference.”
The Mid-Con Presidents Council voted unanimously on August 30 to extend an invitation for membership to North Dakota State, 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.
“NDSU’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.”
NDSU offers programs in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling. Of those sports, football and wrestling are currently not sponsored by the Mid-Con.
“NDSU is committed to having a strong NCAA Division I athletics program,” Douple said. “The alumni, community and fans will enjoy the Mid-Continent Conference competition, in which I believe NDSU will be a very competitive member.”
Dr. Al Goldfarb, President of Western Illinois University and Chair of the Mid-Con Presidents Council, backed Douple’s thoughts.
“NDSU is an outstanding addition to the Mid-Continent Conference,” Goldfarb said. “It has a rich tradition of athletic and academic success and has demonstrated a financial commitment with strong support campus-wide, a community with high interest and loyal alumni and boosters.”
NDSU, with the support of its 10,496 undergraduate students, as well as the rest of the campus community, has transformed itself into a model contemporary land-grant research institution. That support extends to the athletics programs, which recently earned reclassification from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I, and it was that support that solidified the opinions of the league’s presidents and made the vote to extend membership to NDSU a unanimous decision.
“NDSU is a quality institution,” said Dr. Richard Roberts, President of Oral Roberts University and a member of the site visit team. “They have made the right decisions, they are doing things the right way, and will make an outstanding member of the Mid-Continent Conference.”
“The addition of NDSU 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. “The institution’s support for continuing upgrades in its athletic programs will position NDSU to be competitive in the Mid-Continent Conference and at the Division I level.”
“The review of NDSU 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 North Dakota State University will join the conference effective July 1, 2007.
ELMHURST, ILL. — North Dakota State University (NDSU) has accepted an invitation to become a member of the Mid-Continent Conference, Commissioner Tom Douple announced today at a press conference on the NDSU campus in Fargo, N.D. North Dakota State will begin league competition in the 2007-08 academic year, and will be immediately eligible to compete for conference championships.
“The Mid-Continent Conference is pleased to invite North Dakota State University as a member of the conference,” Douple said. “NDSU will make the Mid-Con a better conference, and we are extremely excited to include this great institution in our conference.”
The Mid-Con Presidents Council voted unanimously on August 30 to extend an invitation for membership to North Dakota State, 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.
“NDSU’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.”
NDSU offers programs in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling. Of those sports, football and wrestling are currently not sponsored by the Mid-Con.
“NDSU is committed to having a strong NCAA Division I athletics program,” Douple said. “The alumni, community and fans will enjoy the Mid-Continent Conference competition, in which I believe NDSU will be a very competitive member.”
Dr. Al Goldfarb, President of Western Illinois University and Chair of the Mid-Con Presidents Council, backed Douple’s thoughts.
“NDSU is an outstanding addition to the Mid-Continent Conference,” Goldfarb said. “It has a rich tradition of athletic and academic success and has demonstrated a financial commitment with strong support campus-wide, a community with high interest and loyal alumni and boosters.”
NDSU, with the support of its 10,496 undergraduate students, as well as the rest of the campus community, has transformed itself into a model contemporary land-grant research institution. That support extends to the athletics programs, which recently earned reclassification from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I, and it was that support that solidified the opinions of the league’s presidents and made the vote to extend membership to NDSU a unanimous decision.
“NDSU is a quality institution,” said Dr. Richard Roberts, President of Oral Roberts University and a member of the site visit team. “They have made the right decisions, they are doing things the right way, and will make an outstanding member of the Mid-Continent Conference.”
“The addition of NDSU 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. “The institution’s support for continuing upgrades in its athletic programs will position NDSU to be competitive in the Mid-Continent Conference and at the Division I level.”
“The review of NDSU 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 North Dakota State University will join the conference effective July 1, 2007.
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