THE OFFICIAL ATHLETICS SITE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA LIONS

The University of North Alabama's 2014-2019 Strategic Plan outlines the intent to strive for the "highest levels of excellence in everything we aspire to do including teaching and learning, scholarship and student development, athletics and advancement, service and university operations, and enrollment and retention." Similar to expansion of graduate programs or new program accreditations, this transition to Division I is a natural progression of the institution's development and continued dedication to excellence.

Many of UNA's peer schools have already made this transition. In fact, 70% of the institutions listed on both UNA's basketball and football schedules from 1976 have transitioned to Division I over the course of the last four decades. Membership in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) will bring the University back alongside these peers and allow for the renewal of rivalries that once played an important part in campus life at UNA.

The decrease in the number of Division II programs in the region has had a profound effect on UNA's ability to schedule athletic contests. In some sports, this has resulted in long trips across the country in order to fill the schedule with the mandated number of Division II contests each year.

Yes, this issue has been examined thoroughly with attention given to all relevant factors and points of view. While this topic has a long history at UNA, the last eighteen months have been an especially active period of reengagement and study. UNA consulted athletic professionals, peer administrators, trustees, and officials with area conferences concerning the possibility of a move to Division I. Confidential briefings were provided to leaders of key stakeholder groups (faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community supporters). At each of these stops, the feedback was positive, and there were significant expressions of support to continue the effort.

In order to protect the reputations of all parties, conference moves typically involve a great deal of confidential one-on-one negotiation. No conference wants to run the risk of inviting a school to join only to be publicly rejected. Similarly, no institution wants to publicly announce the intent to make the move only to find there is no invitation being offered. For these reasons, officials from both UNA and the ASUN have proceeded through the preliminary discussions with utmost care.

UNA appreciates the excellent work of Commissioner Matt Wilson in rebuilding the Gulf South Conference in recent years. Under his leadership, the GSC has reemerged as one of the most respected conferences in Division II athletics. The member institutions excel both academically and athletically. At the same time, UNA believes it is prepared to compete on an even larger stage - one that will give the institution greater visibility across the region and nation. UNA is advancing in all areas - academics, enrollment, facilities, and community engagement - and athletics should be included in that progression.

An invitation from a conference is required to make the transition to Division I. For most institutions with this aspiration, the invitation is typically the most difficult step to achieve. It is not so much that the University chose the Atlantic Sun Conference as UNA and the ASUN chose each other. The ASUN is a logical choice because it aligns well geographically with UNA. In addition, the Conference has an impressive history of helping Division II institutions successfully transition to Division I. Simply put, the ASUN believes UNA's academic and athletic profile is an ideal fit, and the University agrees.

The ASUN has proven itself to be a very competitive and capable athletic platform. Member schools have experienced recent success in the NCAA Basketball Tournament (March Madness) and in other Division I post-season tournaments. Only recently did the Conference add a football option. Under a new agreement with the Big South Conference, current or future ASUN members that decide to play scholarship football - and are within the Big South region - will automatically be admitted to the Big South as associate members for the sport of football. This is another critical piece that makes a relationship with the ASUN (and thereby, the Big South) particularly attractive for UNA.

UNA wishes to thank ASUN Commissioner Ted Gumbart for his professionalism, cooperation, and guidance throughout this process. Commissioner Gumbart has been on the ASUN staff since 1991 and has held the title of commissioner since 2007. Currently the president of the Collegiate Commissioners Association, he has created a conference culture that prioritizes student needs and academics. On his watch, 99% of ASUN teams have cleared the NCAA's benchmark in the annual Academic Progress Report.

It is important to understand the subdivisions that define Division I athletics. There are two football playing tiers of Division I: Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS - Formerly Division I-AA). FCS institutions tend to be smaller than FBS institutions and have more limited athletic budgets. The transition from Division II to Division I FCS is manageable in terms of program finances and facilities.

As a new member of the ASUN/Big South, UNA will compete at the Division I FCS level. This means that most UNA sporting events will be played against schools of similar size, scope, and mission. At the same time, the transition to Division I opens the door for the University to compete against Power Five schools (such as those in the SEC) on a selective basis to gain national exposure and to generate revenue for UNA.

Transitions are tough, but UNA is prepared for the challenge and believes it can establish itself quickly as a competitive program in the ASUN. The first two years in the new conference (2018-19 and 2019-20) are anticipated to be the most difficult due to the dynamics of recruitment and limits on post-season play. With each passing year of the reclassification process, these challenges will lessen, and UNA will have the opportunity to demonstrate the commitment to excellence that is the hallmark of Lion Athletics.

Under NCAA rules, UNA will not be able to compete in an NCAA-sponsored national tournament until 2022-23. Fortunately, however, the ASUN is one of the few Division 1 conferences that allows new entrants to compete in conference tournaments and contend for conference titles during the first year of participation. For UNA, that opportunity will first occur in 2018-2019 for all sports except football (due to the Big South Conference affiliation). Being eligible to compete for conference championships will help significantly with the recruitment of student-athletes during the transitional period.

UNA believes in its coaches and student-athletes. It is interesting to note that, even with the lower number of scholarships that come with Division II status, UNA has experienced recent successes in head-to-head competition against Division I FCS programs in soccer, tennis, golf, and women's basketball. The championship tradition of Lion Athletics is an integral part of UNA's identity and will not diminish with a transition to Division I.

Yes, UNA is committed to close monitoring of athletic expenses in order to promote the academic core of the institution. The construction of a financial plan built around this goal has been an essential part of the preparation for the move to Division I.

The administration and UNA Board of Trustees have been mindful of athletics expenditures as a percentage of the University's total budget. This has resulted in the development of a plan that will limit the distribution of university funds to athletics as we move to Division I status. The University will cap direct support of athletics to an amount not to exceed 6.25% of the total unrestricted budget each year, an increase of only 0.25% from the historical average of approximately 6.0%. Limiting the increase in athletic spending to no more than a quarter of one percent of the budget represents an important institutional commitment to fiscal responsibility.

In 2016, an independent consulting firm conducted a study which showed that the average Division I FCS public university in the southeastern United States had an annual athletics budget of $10.8 million. The current operating budget of the UNA Athletics Department, coupled with additional revenue generated from external sources, is approximately $8.0 million annually. Approximately $2.3 million of the total athletics budget is dedicated to student-athlete scholarships. The difference between current spending on athletics and the amount required to be competitive as a Division I FCS institution is small - much smaller than the difference between FCS and FBS budgets - and manageable due to significant new revenues streams that are only available to Division I institutions. Large game guarantees, payouts from the NCAA Basketball Tournament, increases in game attendance, and additional athletic giving will aid in the generation of additional revenue. As a case in point, a peer state institution that is already Division I recently played a major SEC team in football for a $625,000 game guarantee. Last year, that same peer institution received additional income totaling close to $1 million in NCAA Division I enhancement money. This level of NCAA support is not available to Division II institutions.

The Athletics Department acknowledges that external funding will need to increase to meet the needs of a Division I program. Currently, the department raises approximately $1.5 million per year from external sources. By 2022-23, that amount is expected to grow to approximately $3.1 million. The increase will include game guarantees and conference grant funding of approximately $900,000 plus an additional $700,000 obtained through corporate partnerships, ticket sales, and annual giving.

Approximately two-thirds of UNA's budget is tied directly to enrollment. The opportunity to increase enrollment through becoming a Division I institution can help limit tuition increases and produce the revenue necessary to enhance the quality of our academic programs, facilities, and student support functions.

No, the move to Division I will not require the construction of new athletic facilities. In terms of capacity, UNA's current facilities already resemble those of Division I FCS institutions more closely than those of Division II. As case in point, Braly Municipal Stadium seats 14,215, which places it second, only behind Liberty University (seating 19,000), in the Big South Conference. At the same time, UNA acknowledges that both Flowers Hall and Braly Municipal Stadium are in need of updating and modernization. Most of that planned work falls under the heading of deferred maintenance - which includes considerations of safety and aesthetics - and would be just as necessary at the Division II level as with Division I.

ASUN officials have toured UNA's athletic facilities, and the subsequent meeting with University officials was very productive. By mutual agreement, both parties have agreed that work to upgrade Flowers Hall will need to be completed before UNA is able to host any ASUN Conference tournament contests. The earliest that opportunity would arise would be near the end of the fall semester, 2018.

As a result of the transition to Division I, the amount of private giving to UNA is likely to increase significantly - and, indeed, has already started to increase as reports of the move to the ASUN have gone public. Through donor gifts, UNA will be able to make greater progress on these facility upgrades than would otherwise have been the case.

No, UNA will not have to increase the number of sports it sponsors. NCAA policy requires Division I members to offer at least fourteen sports (at least seven for men and seven for women, or six for men and eight for women). UNA already meets that criterion.

The answer here is a qualified "yes." UNA acknowledges that there will be more travel involved for conference play in the ASUN/Big South and has accounted for that additional cost in the financial plan for the transition. At the same time, non-conference travel should decrease significantly due to the number of Division I institutions within easy driving distance of UNA.

The transition offers long-term benefits and branding opportunities in major media markets. UNA teams will play ASUN and Big South contests in large metropolitan areas such as Nashville, Jacksonville, Atlanta, and Charlotte. This increase in visibility for UNA will help facilitate marketing efforts.

Related to this question, it should be noted that long-distance travel is nothing new for UNA's coaches and student-athletes. Only three of the twelve current members of the Gulf South Conference are within a three-hour drive of UNA's campus. Moreover, the decrease in the number of Division II institutions in our area has made it difficult to build schedules. In recent years, UNA sports teams have had to go outside the Southeast, and in some cases across the country, to find Division II opponents for non-conference games.

The move to Division I will have a positive impact on UNA's academic profile and enrollment. On average, Division I FCS institutions compare favorably to Division II with regard to admission standards and other academic indicators.

Division I academic standards ensure student-athletes take appropriate steps to earn their degrees and include everything from grade point average to credit hour requirements. The Academic Progress Rate (APR) is a term-by-term measure of eligibility and retention for Division I student-athletes. The NCAA uses APR to hold institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes. Division II has no similar model in place to hold member institutions accountable.

A 2016 study indicates that institutions making the transition from Division II to Division I experience average enrollment growth of 13%. With additional students applying for admission, UNA would have more options to expand or to balance growth with an increase in admission standards.

The transition to Division I will benefit UNA alumni. The higher classification will enrich the value of the degree for all graduates as UNA Athletics increases media coverage, and thus, brand awareness, of the University. This step forward into Division I is consistent with the University's commitment to "Tell the UNA Story" with passion and vigor. UNA desires to tell the story of our students and alumni more effectively, and to a larger audience that extends beyond our immediate service area. Division I is an excellent platform with which to pursue that goal.

At heart, the transition to Division I is less about athletics than it is about institutional identity. Increased brand awareness of UNA can benefit the Shoals region significantly. Consider the financial impact of sustained enrollment growth: an increase of 100 students translates into a $3.8 million impact on the local economy. Over time, an enrollment increase of 13% (the average for schools moving to Division I FCS) would boost enrollment at UNA by almost 1,000 students - and add approximately $38 million per year to the Shoals economy. Moreover, the move to Division I will allow UNA to rekindle historic rivalries with peer schools in our state and region, which will translate into more visiting fans coming into our area. And, from time to time, high-profile programs from the SEC and ACC will be willing to come to UNA for contests in selected sports. The net impact of these developments will be greater excitement and fan interest that will translate into increased retail sales for Shoals-area businesses.