Ohio Valley to add SIU-E next year

[star2city]

Southeast Missourian Sources: OVC to add SIU Edwardsville

The Ohio Valley Conference may be on the brink of expansion.

The conference is poised to add Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as a new member, sources told the Southeast Missourian on Friday. An announcement could come as soon as this week.

OVC commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher would not confirm the report, though he did say SIUE has applied for membership, has been visited by OVC representatives and that the matter was under consideration for the board of presidents.

Southeast Missouri State University president Dr. Ken Dobbins said Friday that such an addition would be "important for us as a league and also important for us as a university."

The OVC earlier this year agreed to consider adding a member that did not play football. The conference is dropping to 10 schools

[star2city]

St Lous Post confirmation: SIUE: A league of their own

For all the measures Southern Illinois-Edwardsville has taken and all it still must do to hoist itself up from NCAA Division II to Division I, the credibility of the venture hinges on a matter beyond its direct control

[supersioux]

The Summitt, which could lose up to two teams (Centenary to DIII and Southern Utah to the BSC), is now down to the following expansion candidates:

UTPA

Denver (unlikely)

UND

USD

Utah Valley State (only if Southern Utah stays)

[Shawn-O]

They would look to UTPA and Chicago St. first, to protect the autobid.

[MplsBison]

I guess I don't see why the OVC is expanding since with Samford leaving they now have an ideal 10/9 nonfootball/football membership with Morehead playing non scholarship football.

I think Chicago State is the number one expansion target. With their new 30 million dollar on campus arena, the should do ok in bball.

I think/hope Centenary goes away and we add Chi State.

Now if SUU goes away too we'll be forced to add UTPA, which is not a good move.

[star2city]

I guess I don't see why the OVC is expanding since with Samford leaving they now have an ideal 10/9 nonfootball/football membership with Morehead playing non scholarship football.

)Steinbracher) He would like to see the OVC get to as many as 12 schools, which could allow for divisional play in basketball and some other sports.

"We are in a growth mode," Steinbrecher said, "and I'm hopeful we can find that one or two to get to divisional play. I've not been a strong proponent of looking at emerging Division I institutions, but there are exceptions."

The OVC had an 11/10 arrangement, then with Samford leaving it goes to a 10/9.

With SIU-E, it goes to 11/9, but Jacksonville State is also slated to leave if the go IA in football. That would make a 10/8 arrangement.

One school that the OVC may want is East Tennnesssee State, who were forced out the the Southern when ETSU dropped football. There is still talk of ETSU bringing back football: ETSU Buc Football Not Dead; It's Just Sleeping

Some people expected East Tennessee Football to be dead by now, but nearly five years after Jonathan Godfrey kicked the game-winning field goal with two seconds to play in what was the last Buc football game played to date, Godfrey said Friday night the sport is only sleeping.

"When something is dead, you don't have hope for the future, but thanks to the efforts of people in this room it is alive and well. We still have hope it will come back.''

Other schools that are possible are North Alabama (w football), Northern Kentucky, either Lipscomb or Belmont from Nashville, and possibly Chicago St (Tennessee St would like another HBC in the OVC).

I think Chicago State is the number one expansion target. With their new 30 million dollar on campus arena, the should do ok in bball.

I think/hope Centenary goes away and we add Chi State.

Now if SUU goes away too we'll be forced to add UTPA, which is not a good move.

Chicago State left some major impediments in their relationship with the Summit. Maybe they can be repaired.

[MplsBison]

Chicago state is not a HBU.

[BrickTamland]

Chicago state is not a HBU.

Only HBU is an HBU.

Chicago State on the other hand....is not an HBU. Whether or not it is an HBCU.....I don't rightly know.

However....Tennessee State would like another HBCU in the fold of the Ohio Valley.

Apples, Oranges.....Agree to disagree.

[BrickTamland]

I guess I don't see why the OVC is expanding since with Samford leaving they now have an ideal 10/9 nonfootball/football membership with Morehead playing non scholarship football.

I think Chicago State is the number one expansion target. With their new 30 million dollar on campus arena, the should do ok in bball.

I think/hope Centenary goes away and we add Chi State.

Now if SUU goes away too we'll be forced to add UTPA, which is not a good move.

Who is this WE stuff?

[star2city]

Chicago state is not a HBU.

Chicago State's Ethnicity

Chicago State and Northeastern Illinois State both came out of the Chicago Normal School System. Although not intended to be segregated schools, the racial makeup of Chicago's southside versus northside caused Chicago State to effectively become an historically black university, while Northeastern Illinois is not.

It's like saying Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago (Barack's former church) is not a black church because it was started by a white denomination: the United Church of Christ.

BTW, Tennessee State is actually a combination of two schools: one HBCU (Tennessee St) and one "white" (UT-Nashville), so technically, it's not a true HBCU.

[star2city]

SIUE joins Ohio Valley Conference, despite no football program

SIUE Intercollegiate Athletics Director Brad Hewitt's opening statement was, "It's a great day to be a Cougar," drawing a loud ovation from the crowd that had gathered inside Morris University Center."By a unanimous vote of Ohio Valley Conference board of presidents, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville will become a member effective July 1, 2008," OVC Commissioner Dr. Jon A. Steinbrecher said.

But iit appears SIU-E will be playing as an indepdent in most sports for a few more years.:

In order to be included, the OVC had to change its constitution, which it did, to include schools who did not have a football program established.

According to Steinbrecher, athletic teams at SIUE will be phased into conference competition within the next two to four years. Softball will be the first to compete in Division I, beginning in 2010-11.

Volleyball, women's soccer, men's and women's basketball and baseball will begin conference play in 2011-12, with postseason play starting in the 2012-13 season.

All other athletic teams will start play in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2012-13.

Two sports, men's soccer and wrestling, are not recognized as sports by the Ohio Valley Conference

OVC addition open St. Louis market for alumni

If Southeast Missouri State was looking for ways to improve the profile of its athletic program in the St. Louis market, it now has a foil.

Or an ally.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will become the Ohio Valley Conference's 11th member when it is formally admitted July 1. The announcement was made Tuesday morning in front of a crowd of about 100 people at the Morris University Center on the SIUE campus.

Edwardsville is located about 25 miles from St. Louis. The university has approximately 40,000 alumni living in the St. Louis area, according to university officials' estimates.

Southeast Missouri State, which counts approximately 18,000 alums in St. Louis and previously had been the OVC school closest to the metropolitan market, was advised to tap into the region from a marketing and recruiting standpoint in a review of the athletics department completed earlier this year by Carr Sports Associates.

[bincitysioux]

SIUE joins Ohio Valley Conference, despite no football program

But iit appears SIU-E will be playing as an indepdent in most sports for a few more years.:

OVC addition open St. Louis market for alumni

Interesting the way they will phase in sports into the conference over time. I wonder if they'll continue to be a scheduling partner with UND in men's and women's basketball over the next few years.

[star2city]

Interesting the way they will phase in sports into the conference over time. I wonder if they'll continue to be a scheduling partner with UND in men's and women's basketball over the next few years.

Sure they will, if UND doesn't have a conference first.

With the Ohio Valley Conference granting "membership" but delaying real participation, it seems as if the OVC made a pre-emptive strike to ensure that the Summit didn't take them. Recent rumblings started that UM-St Louis is now considering DI, which has to be a target city for the Summit to best fill its geography. UMSL may be long-term Plan B for a St Louis-based team in the Summit, which is constrained in it's decision-making by Centenary's and SUU's plans.

[Chief Illiniwek Supporter]

Although not intended to be segregated schools, the racial makeup of Chicago's southside versus northside caused Chicago State to effectively become an historically black university, while Northeastern Illinois is not.

Exactly right on why Chicago State is overwhelmingly a "black" school today: the fact that its primarily a commuter school (and does a lot of work with teachers returning at night on a part-time basis for their Master's degree) has given it its present racial makeup. Personally I don't see how it could be called "historically black": IMHO, that designation should be based upon the idea that the college was founded to educate African-Americans.

I think Chicago State is the number one expansion target. With their new 30 million dollar on campus arena, the should do ok in bball.

That cost may be correct, and I can confirm that its an on-campus arena, but I'd like to add a few more facts. Capacity is about 6,000, and it has literally

NEVER

been filled. Average attendance for the college games is something less than 900. (That's per a Chicago Tribune report/expose less than six months ago.) The biggest crowd for an athletic event this past year was for a HS basketball doubleheader IIRC. Besides all that, the athletic department has had money trouble: earlier this year they weren't funding their athletic scholarships, so students were being stuck with tuition payments after they had been awarded scholarships.

BTW, that $30 million cost was all from the taxpayers. It has no chance of ever being repaid, unlike many other college athletic facilities in our state.

[star2city]

Personally I don't see how it could be called "historically black": IMHO, that designation should be based upon the idea that the college was founded to educate African-Americans.

BTW, that $30 million cost was all from the taxpayers. It has no chance of ever being repaid, unlike many other college athletic facilities in our state.

Agree that Chicago State isn't a HBCU from its founding, but the way state politics works in Illinois, hasn't it effectively become transformed into one? The new arena funded by the state being a prime example of Chicago politics at work.

[star2city]

SIU-E close to finding homes for non OVC sports

The Ohio Valley Conference doesn't sponsor men's soccer and wrestling, but Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is closing in on finding a home for both in a different league.

They (MVC) genuinely are interested in us. Obviously, like what we bring for Southeast Missouri (in the OVC), we bring the St. Louis market to the Missouri Valley as an institution. It's not something new for them. This isn't an off-the-wall, new request for them."

The addition of SIUE would give the MVC eight men's soccer teams. Teams already in the league are Creighton, Bradley, Evansville, Drake, Eastern Illinois, Missouri State and Western Kentucky.

In wrestling, there are two conference options we've had communication on," Hewitt said. "There is a Western Wrestling Conference that's out in the Rocky Mountains, and the Mid-American (Conference) has wrestling. They have six members there. I've had communication twice with their associate commissioner, and I'm putting together a complete profile for them on our wrestling program to present to them."

Teams in the WWC are Air Force, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.

MAC wrestling teams are Central Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo and Ohio.

[Chief Illiniwek Supporter]

Agree that Chicago State isn't a HBCU from its founding, but the way state politics works in Illinois, hasn't it effectively become transformed into one?

For me, the question of whether it is a HBCU depends on the word "historically". I can't call Chicago State a HBCU simply because its a college that dates back to the 19th century, and I'd guess that up until the 1960's the student population wasn't majority African-American. That doesn't pass muster as "historically" Black IMHO. I don't think a school can be transformed-it either started that way or it didn't.

I have many, many criticisms of Illinois state politics: but IMHO the present-day racial makeup of CSU's enrollment is mostly based on its mission as a limited scope, commuter college. I can't see where politics is involved.

The new arena funded by the state being a prime example of Chicago politics at work.

I couldn't agree more. The fact that its the Emil Jones Jr. Arena tells you all you need to know. He's the current President of the State Senate, the school is in his district and his record of trying to get money to the school (as well as trying to quash investigations of how the money is spent) is well documented.

[Hammersmith]

According to the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Chicago State is not an HBCU; no Illinois institution is.

According to the Higher Education Act of 1965, an HBCU is defined as:

...any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation.

[bincitysioux]

As far as getting back into the Summit League, I'd think that Chicago St. would be their first choice IF Centenary or SUU leave on their own volition, based on their core member status, geography, and being a former member. Or if IUPUI or Oakland leave for the Horizon after a Big East shakeup. If none of that happens in the next 4-6 years, I'd say the UxD's have just as good a chance in order to give the conference a solid back-bone.