Northern Sun

Minnesota State Mankato Will Apply to Northern Sun Conference

Announced Today by President Richard Davenport, Athletic Director Kevin Buisman

Mankato, Minn. – Minnesota State University, Mankato will formally apply for membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, President Richard Davenport and Athletic Director Kevin Buisman announced today.

Minnesota State Mankato will seek membership in the Northern Sun starting with the 2008-2009 intercollegiate athletic season.

The University is seeking the change because its current athletic league, the North Central Conference, will disband following the 2007-2008 season.

“In the last few weeks we have looked closely at our options and discussed them publicly,” Davenport said. “Until the announcement of the NCC’s demise in late November, our first priority – as a loyal member of the conference – was to keep the conference alive. When we learned that was not possible, we consulted with several key constituencies, including faculty, staff, students and community members.”

“As a result of this process, we have concluded that the Northern Sun Conference is the best choice for us, and we hope the conference’s current members feel that we would be worthy partners.”

“We feel that the Northern Sun would be an outstanding fit for Minnesota State University,” Buisman said. “Our efforts have recently focused on becoming a highly competitive force within NCAA Division II, and this decision will allow us to continue along that pathway. The profile of the Northern Sun has changed dramatically over the past few years, and we are excited about the level of competition that would be available to us in the NSIC.”

NSIC Commissioner Butch Raymond said the league “is pleased to accept the letter of application” from Minnesota State Mankato. “In the Northern Sun there is commitment to competing at the highest level of Division II athletics. The strong traditions of Minnesota State, both academically and athletically, prove they have the same goals.”

“I believe our student-athletes will receive a formidable challenge from NSIC opponents who have a well-established record of national competitive excellence in such sports as football, volleyball, basketball, baseball, golf and softball,” Buisman said. “We look forward to establishing new rivalries across the breadth of the current program offerings.”

“I also believe that our programming is an excellent match for the NSIC. Our 23 sports programs would complement many of the core NSIC offerings, and would add depth to and enrich the competitive experience in sports which are not as broadly offered. We would also plan to retain other sports, such as swimming and tennis, where the NSIC does not sponsor a conference championship, and we would find other opportunities outside of conference play for these programs.

“If we are fortunate enough to be invited to join that conference, we will certainly honor the NSIC’s existing scholarship limitations and make whatever adjustments are necessary, while at the same time fulfilling obligations to our existing student-athletes during the transition period.”

Minnesota State Mankato was a founding member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, joining in 1932. In 1970 Minnesota State became a founding member of NSIC women’s sports competition.

Minnesota State Mankato was founded in 1868. Today it includes six academic colleges, 158 undergraduate programs of study, 82 graduate programs and 16 pre-professional programs. Its most popular programs are nursing, elementary education, management, marketing, construction management, computer information science and law enforcement.

It is nationally renowned for its athletic training program, its alternative-fuels research, its service-learning program, its forensics team, its Pan-African Conference and other programs. A member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, it is accredited by 25 national accrediting agencies, including the North Central Association of Colleges.

Its intercollegiate athletic program has become increasingly more competitive. In 2005-2006 the University placed eighth in the NACDA Division II Director’s Cup – a broad-based measure of competitive excellence determined by national post-season finishes across a variety of sports.