NCAA FAQs
Why has Southern Nazarene decided to seek membership with NCAA Division II?
A few years ago the NAIA and NCAA had been in some discussions about a merge between the two associations. As a university SNU decided that it would accept that opportunity if it presented itself. The athletics department then began to look into the possibilities of pursuing a membership with NCAA Division II. After several months of exploring that option, and the NAIA and NCAA agreeing that a merge would not happen, it became a realization that seeking membership with NCAA Division II would be the best choice not just right now, but in the long run for the athletics department.
What does this do for athletic scholarships?
Athletic scholarships will not change much. Some sports will differ slightly in what and how much they can offer, but the over lying factor is that SNU is attempting to fully fund each of its varsity athletics programs. That means that SNU seeks to give the max amount of athletics scholarships that the NCAA Division II allows in each sport. This is expected to put the athletics department on an even playing field with the rest of NCAA Division II and keep the competitive atmosphere that SNU has had over the nearly 50 years of varsity athletics.
How long will the process take?
The process in total time is expected to take three years with the fourth year being a full fledge membership with NCAA Division II. The first two years of the process are called candidacy while the third is called a provisional.
The first year of candidacy is a year for the institution to put in organizational processes in place to become NCAA ready. SNU will still compete in the NAIA and the Sooner Athletic Conference in the first year of candidacy that will run for the 2011-12 academic year.
The second year of candidacy will run for the 2012-13 academic year and if SNU is voted on through to the second year by the NCAA, it will no longer compete as a member of the NAIA or the Sooner Athletic Conference. The NAIA and the NCAA both have a ban on postseason play during the second year of candidacy so SNU would not be able to compete for an NAIA or NCAA championship in any sport sponsored by either association. The processes become more stringent in the second year and SNU will have to follow all NCAA rules and regulations. SNU will begin to play an NCAA and Great American Conference schedule in all sports sponsored except for football. The football team will schedule a handful of GAC opponents, but the GAC football schedule will not reset until the 2013-14 academic year
The third year is the provisional year and will run for the 2013-14 academic year. There is still a ban on postseason play, but SNU will play a full NCAA and GAC schedule. The provisional stage is set for evaluation if the institution is ready to become a full fledge member of NCAA Division II.
If SNU is voted through each stage and completes each year of the process it would become a full member of NCAA Division II for the 2014-15 academic year. It would then be able to compete for GAC and NCAA Championships.
