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fter nearly a decade of study and deliberation, Berry has begun the transition from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to NCAA Division III. The move became official in late July when the NCAA Management Council approved Berry’s application for provisional membership. Berry is one of three institutions nationally to begin this process in 2009-10. Conference affiliation in Division III is under exploration and will be determined at a later date. The provisional process is likely to take four years. During this time, Berry will complete the transition to a nonscholarship athletic program – as required by Division III – and make other changes necessary to bring the athletic program into full compliance with NCAA membership guidelines. When the provisional process is complete, Berry will join more than 400 colleges and universities nationwide as a full member of Division III and will begin competing for NCAA championships. For now, Berry holds joint membership in both the NCAA and the NAIA. Throughout the current academic year, Berry teams will continue to compete in the NAIA’s Southern States Athletic Conference, although they will be ineligible for postseason play. Until NCAA postseason play is open to them, Berry coaches are seeking new scheduling opportunities that will allow Berry teams to travel nationally and, perhaps, overseas.
“Both academically and athletically, NCAA Division III is a good fit for Berry,” President Steve Briggs explained. “We have always placed a high priority on academic achievement and the overall quality of the educational experience for our student-athletes, and affiliation with Division III allows us to be true to these fundamental values while also growing our athletics program in new and exciting ways.”
This fall, Berry welcomed student-athletes in three new varsity sports – women’s softball and men’s and women’s swimming and diving. In 2010-11, men’s and women’s lacrosse will be added to the lineup. Go to www.berry.edu/ athletics/ncaa for more details about the move, including answers to frequently asked questions and a link to Dr. Briggs’ spring Berry magazine column detailing reasons for the move.
Commitment to students resonates with media
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t a time when students and their parents are seeking maximum value in a college education, Berry is generating buzz regionally and nationally with its strong commitment to firsthand work experiences and financial aid for students. Media highlights from the summer include information about Berry’s new Gate of Opportunity Scholarship program on CNN and a statewide radio broadcast of Georgia Focus dedicated entirely to the college’s work experience program. In an op-ed published by the Atlanta JournalConstitution, President Steve Briggs stressed the importance of colleges preserving and enhancing need-based
CNN interviews Eldon Creer (09C) about the challenges of paying for a college education.
financial aid for students, especially in difficult economic times. And Berry’s new Student-Operated Campus Enterprises initiative (see page 20) established a strong footprint in the local Northwest Georgia media while also garnering positive coverage in Georgia Magazine, the St. Louis-Post Dispatch and U.S. News & World Report.
ALAN STOREY
Berry gains provisional membership in NCAA Division III
Honor Roll of Donors goes “online”
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hat’s better than seeing your name on the printed page? Seeing it online! And that is exactly where alumni and friends who supported Berry financially in 2008-09 will be listed. While “preliminary” online honor rolls have been used at Berry in the past, this is the first time the formal report will be HTML instead of paper and ink. Eliminating both the paper honor roll – and the year-inreview president’s report that accompanied it – (to say nothing about postage) is a real cost-saver for the college at a time when every effort must be made to provide scholarship and work experience assistance for our students. When the economy goes down, their need for aid in all forms goes up. Providing that assistance is a core principle for Berry. The launch date for the online honor roll is Nov. 1. To see your name – or those of your friends and classmates – on what truly is a listing of great honor, go to www.berry.edu/honorroll. And thank you for your support of Berry students. Please see page 26 for a recap of giving in 2008-09, including important support for scholarships, student work and the Cage Center.
FALL 2009
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