For the past seven months, members of the university community have
conducted a comprehensive review of the intercollegiate athletics program related to the NCAA certification program. The primary objective of this self-study review is to assess the extent to which the university meets the certification standards outlined in the NCAA Third-Cycle Athletics Certification program. Members of the university faculty and staff, Athletic Board, Athletic Department staff, coaches and student-athletes, alumni, and student body participated in the broad-based self-study.

The campus community is invited to learn more about the self-study process report and provide feedback. A campus forum will take place from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31, in the Ebling Symposium Center at the Microbial Sciences Building. Parking is available in Lot 40 (behind Babcock Hall) and Lot 36 (Steenbock ramp).

More than 50 individuals across campus and the community are serving on various committees to study governance and commitment to rules compliance; academic integrity; and gender, diversity and student-athlete well-being matters.

The NCAA Certification program is designed to benefit the university by
providing a chance to increase campuswide awareness of the athletic program’s purpose and the ways athletics supports the university’s overall mission, to affirm the positive aspects of intercollegiate athletic and to improve areas of the program that may be identified in the self-study. The university has successfully completed similar self-studies and received NCAA certification in 1994 and 2002.

To learn more about the process and review the self-study report, visit
http://ncaacertification.wisc.edu.

After we conclude the self-study review and submit the report to the NCAA by May 1, an external team of reviewers comprised of peers from other colleges, universities or conferences will conduct a three-day evaluation visit on campus. The peer-review team site visit is scheduled for Sept. 21-23.

Darrell Bazzell, Vice Chancellor