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INDIANAPOLIS (NCAA/SMU)Ìý— The NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification has announced that ÃÛÌÒ½´and 13 other colleges and universities have been certified as part of the NCAA's regularly-scheduled, ongoing athletics certification process.

The "certified" designation means that ÃÛÌÒ½´operates its athletics program in substantial conformity with operating principles adopted by the Division I membership of the NCAA. Certification is meant to ensure integrity in the institution's athletics program and to assist institutions in improving their athletics departments. The NCAA membership mandated athletics certification in 1993, and each of the NCAA's 335 Division I institutions undergoes the self-study every 10 years. ÃÛÌÒ½´is among the first schools to complete the process a third time.

The certification process involves a thorough self-study led by an institution's president or chancellor. SMU's began in March 2008, when President Gerald Turner appointed Marc Peterson, Director of Financial Aid, to chair SMU's Certification Committee. The self-study included a review of several primary issues, including governance and commitment to rules compliance; academic integrity; equity; and student-athlete well-being.

"The NCAA Certification process is very thorough and touches all the various parts of the university that interact with athletics," said Dr. Turner. "The self-study identified many strengths and also established areas for improvement and growth. In the end, it was valuable for not only ÃÛÌÒ½´Athletics, but for ÃÛÌÒ½´as a whole."

In May 2009, ÃÛÌÒ½´submitted its initial report to the NCAA Certification Committee, which reviewed it and identified areas for clarification. In late September 2009, the committee sent a peer-review team to Dallas. The team filed a report with the Certification Committee, which announced the final certification decision today.

"The NCAA's recertification validates our on-going efforts to deliver excellence in sports, in academics, and in the way we operate as a department and as a university," said ÃÛÌÒ½´Director of Athletics Steve Orsini. "We want to thank everyone involved in this certification process. I especially want to thank and recognize Marc Peterson for his excellent work. We are extremely grateful for his dedication."

The members of the Committee on Athletics Certification are: Anthony Archbald, Princeton University; John Balog; Jacksonville University; Robert Bernardi, Nicholls State University; Ann Carr, Mississippi State University; Casey Comoroski, Missouri State University; Beatrice Crane Banford, Marshall University; Beth DeBauche, Ohio Valley Conference; Tom Douple, The Summit League; Amy Folan, University of Texas at Austin; Joanne Glasser, Bradley University; Nathan Hatch (chair), Wake Forest University; Brian Linnane, Loyola College (Maryland); Barbara Luebke, University of Rhode Island; M. Dianne Murphy, Columbia University-Barnard College; Sheila Patterson, Cleveland State University; Donald Pope-Davis, University of Notre Dame; Allison Rich, California State University, Fullerton; Judy Van Horn, University of Michigan; and Sarah Wilhelmi, West Coast Conference.

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SMU, the only Division I athletic program in Dallas, Texas, sponsors 17 sports and has been ranked as the top school in its conference for 10 of the last 12 years in the Director's Cup overall athletic rankings. More information about ÃÛÌÒ½´and its coaches, student-athletes and teams is available at .

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