July 16, 2012

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The NCAA moved within a single step of accepting its first international member when the Division II Membership Committee conditionally approved Simon Fraser University of Burnaby, B.C., as a Division II active member.

The action was among several the Divisions II and III Membership Committees took during their recent meetings to approve active status for several schools that had completed those divisions' provisional/reclassifying membership process.

Simon Fraser's active status is contingent on NCAA Executive Committee approval of a modification to NCAA Constitution 3.02.3.1, which currently requires all NCAA members to be accredited by a U.S. regional accrediting agency. Simon Fraser has been accepted into candidacy by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, but the process will not be complete until 2017 at the earliest.

To address the situation, the Division II Presidents Council at its April meeting recommended that the Executive Committee modify the constitutional provision so that international members can be accepted as active members if the international institution is accredited by one of the six U.S. regional accrediting agencies, or the international institution is a candidate for accreditation with one of the six U.S. regional accrediting agencies and is in good standing with its country's national, regional or provincial accreditation agency.

The Executive Committee will consider the issue at its Aug. 1 meeting. If it approves the modification, Simon Fraser would join the other six institutions as active Division II members beginning Sept. 1.