Two schools join GLIAC as provisional members
The GLIAC Presidents Council, made up of the presidents of the league’s 12 current member institutions, voted to officially accept them as provisional members in a meeting on Tuesday held at the University of Findlay.
The vote comes two weeks after the GLIAC Executive Council voted to recommend to the Presidents Council that both institutions be granted membership at its annual spring meeting, after LEC and ODU made formal presentations to the league in Gaylord, Mich. on June 1.
LEC first began the transition process during the 2006-07 academic year when it started the two-year exploratory phase, coming from NCAA Division III status, and Ohio Dominican was formerly a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and is currently finishing its first exploratory year in the process of entering Division II.
Hillsdale College athletic director Don Brubacher said full member status within the GLIAC will be granted to each institution when it achieves full Division II membership.
Brubacher said although there are still plenty of hoops for the schools to jump through before they are accredited league members, the Chargers athletic department is delighted with the current progress.
"We're very pleased with it and are happy that two more private colleges will be potentially joining our league," he said.
Brubacher said he has not been part of discussions about the possibility of the GLIAC dividing into two divisions based on private or public school status (there are currently seven public and five private members), but he is certain the conference wants to implement "North and South" divisions as soon as possible.
"The league ideally wants to expand to the point of having two clear divisions," he said. "That way we can try and limit travel expenses and the amount of missed class time for our athletes. And it's always good to be part of a league that is expanding — because conferences tend to be shifting in recent years and we're happy to be increasing our membership instead of decreasing."
According to Jeff Ligney, GLIAC director of media relations, the plan is to eventually expand the conference to 16 full members, which would make scheduling even easier and possibly cut travel costs even further.
Lake Erie College is located in Painesville, Ohio and is an independent, liberal arts institution that currently has over 1,200 students and will offer 20 varsity sports in 2009-10.
“Lake Erie College is delighted to become a member of the premier Division II conference in the nation,” said LEC President Michael T. Victor in a GLIAC press release. “We’ve had many initiatives in recent years, but I truly believe the move to the GLIAC and Division II will be one of our most successful enrollment endeavors and help propel us to the next level.”
