The NCAA Committee on Athletics Certification announced that Coppin State has been fully certified, following recommendations by members of a peer-review team which visited the campus this past fall after a yearlong self-study by school administrators and faculty.
“I’m very pleased with the NCAA’s decision,” said athletics director Ron “Fang” Mitchell. “This shows that we’re doing things the right way, and we will work on continually improving how Coppin operates as a Division I institution.
“The self-study committee, headed by Dr. Frank Kober, did an outstanding job.” A designation of fully certified, which is the highest mark a school can receive, means the institution has shown that it operates its athletics program in substantial conformity with operating principles adopted by the Division I membership.
Other schools which were recently certified, along with Coppin, were: Arkansas, Bowling Green State, Drake, Duquesne, Fairfield, Iowa, Lafayette, Missouri, Portland, Texas Christian, Troy State, Valparaiso, Western Illinois and Winthrop.
Coppin and the other 14 colleges and universities completed a yearlong certification process, which all 308 Division I members will undergo within five years. One hundred ninety-six institutions have received certification status decisions.
The program’s purpose is to ensure integrity in the institution’s athletics operations and to assist athletics departments in improving their programs. Legislation mandating athletics certification was adopted by a vote of all Division I members at the 1993 NCAA Convention as a key part of the association’s reform agenda.
Certification examines the athletics department’s academic and fiscal integrity, governance and commitment to rules compliance, and commitment to equity.
At the end of the self-study, a peer group of administrators from other NCAA member institutions visited each campus and heard from the institution’s self- study committee and others. The peer group then reported back to the NCAA Committee on Athletics Certification, which rendered the final decision.
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