The University of Massachusetts Lowell was accepted as a member of Division I and the America East Conference in 2013, beginning a four-year reclassification process. Completing the Division I Institutional Performance Program (IPP) Self-Study (pdf) is required in Year 4 of the transition process. Members of the peer-review committee were on campus on Sept. 28-29, 2016. Check out the schedule for their visit (pdf).
The IPP self-study process affords the university the opportunity to conduct a formal review of the entire athletic program by providing the framework to assess current practices and future plans in the three areas identified by the NCAA:
- governance and commitment to rules compliance,
- academic integrity, and
- gender/diversity and student-athlete well-being.
Key to the self-study process is the opportunity to broaden campuswide awareness of the positive role that intercollegiate athletics can play to support university goals with regard to increasing enrollment and student diversity, broadening exposure, and creating a more vibrant campus environment.
This self-study initiative is to be a comprehensive evaluation to make certain the intercollegiate athletics program is operating in accordance with the mission statements of both the university and the Athletics Department. To ensure campuswide engagement, UMass Lowell alumni, faculty, staff and students have agreed to serve as committee members and participate fully in the self-study process.