Roosevelt University Approved As Provisional Member Of The GLIAC

Roosevelt University Approved As Provisional Member Of The GLIAC

Roosevelt University website | Roosevelt Athletics website

GLIAC 
-- The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) announced Tuesday that Roosevelt University has been approved for provisional membership. The institution, located in downtown Chicago, will become the conference's 11th member and begin competition in 2024-25, if accepted as a provisional member of NCAA Division II in July 2023.

"On behalf of the conference office and our member presidents, chancellors and administrators, we are pleased to welcome Roosevelt University to the GLIAC," said Commissioner Kris Dunbar. "Throughout the review process, Roosevelt demonstrated that its mission, both academically and athletically, ideally fits into the framework of the GLIAC's vision and that its leadership has a strong commitment to long-term competitiveness at the Division II level. The GLIAC is excited for what the future holds, as it continues to attract members who are dedicated to enhancing the student-athlete experience and contributing to the GLIAC's championship culture."

Acceptance by the GLIAC Presidents and Chancellors is the initial step in the application process for Division II membership for Roosevelt. Moving forward, it will undertake a comprehensive feasibility assessment to further gauge its preparedness to make the transition to Division II and will formally apply to the NCAA by February 1, 2023.

"We are excited to have Roosevelt University join the GLIAC after admittance to the NCAA," said Davenport President Rick Pappas, Chair of the Presidents Council. "Roosevelt is an outstanding academic institution led by a great president."

If Roosevelt receives approval for Division II membership, it will receive provisional status in the NCAA and the GLIAC for the 2023-24 academic year but will continue to compete in the NAIA. Following 2023-24, Roosevelt will remain provisional members of the NCAA and GLIAC for the next two years. Starting in 2024-25, Roosevelt athletic teams will compete as members of the GLIAC and be eligible for postseason conference tournaments/championships. Upon completion of its provisional term, the Lakers will be able to take part in NCAA postseason competition beginning in the 2026-27 academic year.

"I am excited for the potential the opportunity a move to NCAA Division II and the GLIAC provides Roosevelt Athletics, continuing to build on its commitment to providing platforms for students to have an unmatched academic and athletic experience in a world-class city," said Vice President for Athletics and Student Success Mike Cassidy. "This can increase our visibility both locally and regionally, and it aligns with our broader departmental and institutional growth initiatives."

Roosevelt currently competes in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference and the Mid-States Football Association. Roosevelt participates in 15 sports sponsored by the GLIAC, including baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track & field and volleyball.

"The NCAA Division II membership would fit in with our Enrollment Growth strategy, enhance an established Athletics program and raise the visibility of Roosevelt," said Roosevelt president Ali R. Malekzadeh, "Our goal is to provide access and opportunity for all students locally, nationally and globally. We are eager to take advantage of this transition that would support our overall university strategy. There are four Universities in Illinois that compete in NCAA II, and none are in the City of Chicago where we are. It would be another point of differentiation in addition to our mission."

The GLIAC experienced unrivaled success during the 2021-22 athletic season, as member schools captured four national championships -- football (Ferris State), men's cross country (Grand Valley State), women's soccer (Grand Valley State) and men's indoor track & field (Grand Valley State) with runner-up finishes in men's tennis (Wayne State), women's cross country (Grand Valley State), women's indoor track & field (Grand Valley State) and women's outdoor track & field (Grand Valley State). 

With the addition of Roosevelt, the GLIAC becomes the only NCAA Division II conference whose footprint includes the two largest media markets and metropolitan areas in the Midwest region -- Detroit and Chicago.

About Roosevelt University Athletics

Roosevelt has more than 500 student-athletes who are part of the department's 23 athletic programs of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), American College Hockey Association (ACHA) and United States Bowling Congress (USBC), as well as its coed spirit, eSports and marching band programs.

About Roosevelt University

Roosevelt University, a private institution founded in 1945 on the principles of inclusion and social justice, has more than 4,100 students with campuses in downtown Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois.

Roosevelt offers 65 undergraduate and 50 graduate and doctoral programs across five colleges, including arts and sciences, business, performing arts, education, culinary, health sciences and pharmacy.

Students who attend Roosevelt University will become socially conscious citizens who thrive in a diverse and changing world. Roosevelt seeks and serves a diverse student body because it values differences in experiences and perspectives, and uses those differences to promote mutual understanding, inclusion and action toward social justice.

Facts

• Founded: 1945
• Total enrollment: 4,100
• Network of over 127,000 alumni
• 27 percent Hispanic or Latinx
• 17 percent Black or African American
• 41 percent of undergraduates are first generation
• Full-time faculty: 181
• Student/faculty ration: 11:1
• Average class size: 18 students
• Five colleges
• 65 undergraduate majors and 30 minors
• 48 graduate programs
• Two doctoral programs
• 23 certificate programs