2003 NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship Pressbook

NATIONAL ASSO CIATION OF ,--------------------------------- 1NT ER COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS The NAIA - Providing Balanced Athletics Programs for 47,000 Student-Athletes THE RIGHT GAME FOR LIFE. hroughout its history, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has provided strong leadership for T all aspects of intercollegiate sports. Since its introduction of intercollegiate championship basketball in 1937, the AIA has maintained the highest standards while administering first-rate athletics programs. Time and ime again, the NAIA has stepped forward to address the important issues of the day - be it racial integration in the '40s and '50s or establishing the first women 's championship program in 1980. The NAIA has not been afraid to enact changes while others have watched and waited . In the past decade, presidents of the NAIA colleges and universities have assumed a position of responsible leadership. The NAIA's Council of Presidents , the organization 's primary governing body , is comprised f 35 college and university presidents from all regions of the United States . With its major emphasis on education and character development, it was natural for the NAIA to further strengthen academic eligibility requirements in the mid-'80s. All NAIA participating student-athletes must maintain a 2.0 grade-point– average (GPA) while accumulating credit hours for a declared academic degree. Unlike other associations, NAIA s uden -athlete academic el igibility is monitored on a term-by-term basis. The All-America Scholar-Athlete program, a long-standing NAIA tradition , recognizes junior and senior student– athletes with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) . Dunng the '90s, the waves of change once again washed over the NAIA. The membership voted to institute affiliated conference and regional groupings and discontinue the use of district play as a means of qualification for national champ1onsh1ps, marking the first time since the NAIA's creation that district competition would not be used . Since 1937, he NAIA has administered programs and championships in proper balance with the overall educational e penence In 2000, the NAIA reaffirmed its purpose to enhance the character-building aspects of sport Through Champions of Character he NAIA seeks to create an environment in which every s uden -athlete coach, official and spectator Is committed to the true spin of compe ItIon through five tenets respect, integrity , respons1b11tty servant leadership and sportsmanship This program 111 duca e and create a areness of the posItIve character-buil ding tra, afforded by sports and return integnty to competition at the coll t OPPORTUNITIES FOR TH STUDENT-ATHL T • 47,000 part, 1patmg tud nt-athl te ' • Hundred ' of Al -tudent · recogrnz d annuall) a II- men a holar- thlete , thou and m re honored on the nferen e le, el hamp1on -hip opportunllle t the -onferen -e, e t101nl region I nd national le, el • 2 hamp1on~h1p en ompa 10, 11 pxt _I _ Ua eb·1II Ba I.. tball (D1 l " U 1,l..etb,lll (D1, I ll) r h, l )Unt1 l 10 \ (. OUl\ll Liolt ll) I ) tb.tll ln i ) )I l 1 1 I.. lt Id JOit )utd I I I l I.. I I i LndL m Ir l I.. h Id I I I I k I I 11 ftb 111 r II I\11\111 II\ f l)t I I 111\11\11 11J l )i Ill I nm I nrn \ 111 l II r tl111' TM