MID CON SITE Visits

[thebluehatman]

Re: MID CON SITE Visits

who wants to welcome them to brookings on wednesday day? campus is going to be buzzing with media day and all that good stuff.

[89rabbit]

Re: MID CON SITE Visits

Here is the latest from Fargo. One from the Forum (sub. site, but it is free), the other an AP story from Grand Forks.

http://www.in-forum.com/articles/ind...section=Sports

NDSU exam begins

By Kevin Schnepf, The Forum
Published Tuesday, August 08, 2006

North Dakota State will have to wait at least one more month before it finds out if it has found a conference.

Mid-Continent Conference commissioner Thomas Douple said he expects league presidents to make a decision by mid- to late-September. Douple is in Fargo with other Mid-Con officials through Wednesday to examine the possibility of adding NDSU to the league.

NDSU, which has been searching for a conference since 2002 when it moved from NCAA Division II to Division I, is one of three schools being considered for expansion by the Mid-Con. League officials visited Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne last week and will be in Brookings, S.D., later this week to visit South Dakota State.

Douple said league presidents could decide to add one, two, three or no teams.

“But anytime a conference takes the time and effort to make an official visit, I would view that as a positive,” Douple said.  .  .  .  (read more)

and

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandf...e/15219974.htm

Mid-Con groups begins official visit to NDSU

DAVE KOLPACK
Associated Press

FARGO, N.D. - North Dakota State University began its courtship of the Mid-Continent Conference by converting its indoor football stadium into a basketball arena.

The league's official site visit kicked off Monday at the Fargodome, built primarily as the home for Bison football. NDSU athletic director Gene Taylor said the basketball configuration was intended to show the Mid-Con group that Fargo could host a conference tournament.

The Mid-Con doesn't offer football, but the league's men's and women's basketball champions earn automatic berths into the NCAA Division I tournaments.

"We've started the trip off very well," Mid-Con Commissioner Tom Douple said Monday afternoon. "We're impressed by the Fargodome. And just looking at a drive-by on outdoor facilities, they look rather impressive."

Douple said the group plans to talk to about 100 people before the tour wraps up on Wednesday. The list of interviews includes school administrators, athletes, professors, boosters, community members, security officials, event managers - even groundskeepers.

"We've been looking forward to this since they made the announcement," said Gene Taylor, NDSU athletic director. "It's been fun to see the staff and everybody ... just their level of energy and excitement."

The site team has been asked to file reports to the conference office by the middle of August, Douple said. League presidents are expected to decide on expansion by the end of September, he said.

"I think any time a conference takes the time and effort to make an official site visit, I would view that as positive if I was the institution that they're visiting," Douple said. "There's a bunch of them out there that we're not visiting." . . . (read more)




Go State!  

[Haldersham]

Re: MID CON SITE Visits

The commissioner is talking about those institutions selected for membership would have to make a ten year committment. I dont see that as a problem. Unless we have an abundance of major gifts and have instance success with some of the programs, we need this conference for at least 10 years to build our programs. I think its a fair bargin. Now need to wait on getting an invite from Mid Con.

[filbert]

Re: MID CON SITE Visits

The commissioner is talking about those institutions selected for membership would have to make a ten year committment. I dont see that as a problem. Unless we have an abundance of major gifts and have instance success with some of the programs, we need this conference for at least 10 years to build our programs. I think its a fair bargin. Now need to wait on getting an invite from Mid Con.

Curiously, ten years gets us out to 2016, when NDSU and SDSU would count as "core" institutions for the Mid-Continent, if I've done my math right.

[JBNJBQ]

Re: MID CON SITE Visits

Selected excerpts from the Argus today, read the whole story at:


http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...28/1002/SPORTS


 
SDSU ready for its Mid-Con visit
Chris Solari
csolari@argusleader.com
August 9, 2006


There might be a few new marquees around Brookings welcoming the Mid-Continent Conference.

But with league leaders in town to study South Dakota State for possible inclusion in the Division I conference, the plan of school officials is to maintain the status quo.

"Everyone is pretty optimistic - people are happy they're coming for a site visit," said Fred Oien, SDSU's athletic director. "We're going to be South Dakota State University. We're not going to be someone we're not."
 
The Mid-Con's seven-person group will begin trickling into Brookings today. Commissioner Tom Douple and his two assistant commissioners have been in Fargo visiting North Dakota State since Monday and won't arrive in Brookings until late tonight, with meetings scheduled to begin Thursday and finish Saturday morning.

The visitors will hold about 70 meetings with 100-or-so members of the various portions of the SDSU community - from academic faculty to athletic department employees to student-athletes and game and arena management staff. The meetings will last for about 13 hours each day.


With Douple and his assistants driving from Fargo, Oien said he and his staff will be picking up other Mid-Con visitors in Sioux Falls and giving them tours of facilities there that could be used to host conference tournaments.

Oien said Gov. Mike Rounds has been in contact with conference leaders but will not meet with the visitation group because of prior commitments. SDSU leaders have chartered a flight to the Black Hills, where they will introduce Mid-Con officials to President Peggy Miller and the Board of Regents at their meeting in Spearfish.

[1stRowFANatic]

Re: MID CON SITE Visits

According to KWSN's website, Craig & Mike are going to be at media day.

[tony]

Re: MID CON SITE Visits

I have no doubt that SDSU will knock the socks off of the Mid-Con folks as you guys have a quality athletic department. Besides, if they liked the BSA, Frost is going to look the Taj Mahal.

Here's to hoping NDSU and SDSU are in the Mid-Con together in 2007.

[89rabbit]

Re: MID CON SITE Visits

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...49/1002/SPORTS

Eye on the future
South Dakota State eyes Mid-Con bid as officials visit campus today

Chris Solari
csolari@argusleader.com
August 10, 2006

BROOKINGS -- Megan Vogel criss-crossed two basketballs between her legs as sweat poured off her brow, the pitter-patter of her dribble drills echoing throughout an empty gymnasium.

All around her, Frost Arena's video scoreboards flashed cheers and highlights to a one-person audience that wasn't paying any attention.

Today, though, plenty of eyes will be focused on Brookings as South Dakota State's future reaches an important crossroads. Seven officials from the Mid-Continent Conference will begin meeting with students, faculty and athletic staff. SDSU's dream is that it will receive an invitation to join the Division I league by the end of September. . . . (read more)

Go State!

[thebluehatman]

Re: MID CON SITE Visits

*gasp* i saw the mid-con people in the Union about an hour ago. didn't get to talk to them although that would have been cool. maggie eilers was on her way outta meetings with them and going to soccer meetings. not much acknowledgement of the Mid-Con coming to town either all i saw was a little sign at the Union. lets hope all goes well with them and we have a new home in a year.

[89rabbit]

Re: MID CON SITE Visits

The Register has always been a little slower getting their stoires on the web, understandable given their size, but they still do a great job of covering the Jackrabbits. Here is a story about the site visit written before the Mid-Con folks came to town.

http://www.brookingsregister.com/mai...39&page=25

SDSU set for Mid-Con visit

BY JOSH LINEHAN

Coach after coach strode to the podium in the Performing Arts Center on the SDSU campus on Wednesday at athletics media day and echoed the same theme: This is an exciting time.
That's because beginning today, SDSU will be showing off its' facilities and programs to members of a site visit team from the Mid-Continent Conference, with the hopes of landing the Jackrabbits a conference home. . . . (read more)


Go State!

[filbert]

Re: MID CON SITE Visits

Any inside word from SDSUFans.com Forum members on the scene as to how the meetings have gone?

Wasn't there supposed to be some kind of wrap-up session? Anyone know when that was scheduled?

[89rabbit]

Re: MID CON SITE Visits

They are having a dinner this evening and I think the folks from the Mid-Con leave tomorrow.


Go State!

[jackrabbit1979]

Re: MID CON SITE Visits

Any inside word from SDSUFans.com Forum members on the scene as to how the meetings have gone?

Wasn't there supposed to be some kind of wrap-up session?  Anyone know when that was scheduled?

Lots of Media people and SDSU Administration at the Performing Arts Center this evening for the dinner, wrap-up, and press conference. KSFY did a live spot from the PAC during the 6pm newscast, but I only caught the last few seconds of it so I can't report much. I will try to catch the news at ten and see if there is anything, then give a wrap up for the out-of-towners on the board.

[89rabbit]

Re: MID CON SITE Visits

From KSFY:

http://www.ksfy.com/Stories/Story.cfm?SID=7905

Mid-Con Visit A Success at SDSU





(Brookings) "Well we are prepared to add one, two or three schools. We already have schedules completed and worked out different scenario's. I will say this and I think I can speak for the whole group, we are leaving here with a very favorable impression of this entire university and community."

That's according to Mid Continent Conference Commissioner Tom Douple.  With those comments, South Dakota State could be on the verge of joining the Mid Continent Conference.  Friday evening, Mid Con officials wrapped up their three day visit at SDSU, and from the sounds of it, Mid-Con officials liked what they saw and heard from SDSU officials.  .  .  .  (read more)


Go State!  

[filbert]

Re: MID CON SITE Visits

From KSFY:

http://www.ksfy.com/Stories/Story.cfm?SID=7905

Mid-Con Visit A Success at SDSU





(Brookings) "Well we are prepared to add one, two or three schools. We already have schedules completed and worked out different scenario's. I will say this and I think I can speak for the whole group, we are leaving here with a very favorable impression of this entire university and community."

That's according to Mid Continent Conference Commissioner Tom Douple. With those comments, South Dakota State could be on the verge of joining the Mid Continent Conference. Friday evening, Mid Con officials wrapped up their three day visit at SDSU, and from the sounds of it, Mid-Con officials liked what they saw and heard from SDSU officials. . . . (read more)


Go State!

And here's the punch line of the article:

Mid-Con officials will now send a report to the Mid Continent Presidents Council who will then make a decision. Officials told KSFY Friday night they hope to have an answer for SDSU by the second week of September.

I'll sleep happy tonight (thanks to KSFY) . . .