Govenors State University to Join CCAC in 2016-17
Oct 23, 2015
CHICAGO --- For the second time in as many years, the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) will have a new member joining its ranks after it was announced on Friday that Governors State University has been accepted into the league by a vote of the conference’s Executive Council at its annual fall meeting last week. The University Park, Ill.-based school will start play in the league beginning with the 2016-17 academic year.
Governors State, which transitioned from a two-year college to a four-year university this fall, was accepted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) at its 2015 Convention and started competing in intercollegiate athletics this fall. The Jaguars sponsor seven sports – men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf and women’s volleyball – with expansion into other sports once the core seven sports get established.
“The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference is excited to announce our newest member, Governors State University,” said CCAC Commissioner Jeff Schimmelpfennig. “Governors State’s administration and athletic staff have displayed an enthusiasm and structure that made our conference presidents excited to bring them into the league.”
Governors State’s addition will keep the CCAC membership total at its current 15-school level with current members Purdue University Calumet (Ind.) and Purdue University North Central (Ind.) combining their schools’ and athletic programs’ to become Purdue University Northwest with the start of the 2016-17 academic year. Governors State’s addition will also allow the league to maintain its status as the largest conference in the nearly 300-school association.
“Governors State University is proud to be accepted into the CCAC,” stated Governors State University President Dr. Elaine Maimon. “We admire the CCAC’s integration of academics and athletics and its strong commitment to the student-athlete.
“On behalf of the entire GSU community, I want to thank the CCAC presidents for inviting us to join this distinguished conference.”
The majority of the conference resides in Governors State’s own Chicagoland backyard with the likes of Judson University (Elgin, Ill.), Olivet Nazarene University (Bourbonnais, Ill.), Robert Morris University (Chicago), Roosevelt University (Chicago), Saint Xavier University (Chicago), University of St. Francis (Joliet, Ill.), Trinity Christian College (Palos Heights, Ill.) and Trinity International University (Deerfield, Ill.). Representing the state of Indiana are Calumet College of St. Joseph (Whiting), Holy Cross College (Notre Dame), Indiana University South Bend, Purdue Calumet (Hammond) and Purdue North Central (Westville). Milwaukee, Wis. is home to Cardinal Stritch University, while St. Ambrose University (Davenport, Iowa) became the first school to represent the conference from Iowa when it joined the league at the start of the current academic year.
The CCAC sponsors the sports of baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s outdoor track & field and men’s and women’s volleyball.
“We are very excited to be a part of one of the toughest conferences in the country both on and off the playing fields,” said Governors State director of athletics Tony Bates. “We hope to carry the CCAC tradition of classroom intellect and hard play for many years to come.”
The groundwork for the CCAC stemmed from a meeting of baseball coaches in the fall of 1949. Attending that meeting was Kyle Anderson of the University of Chicago, Ed Glancy of Illinois Institute of Technology, George Boyle of Chicago Teachers College (now Northeastern Illinois University) and Les Miller of the University of Illinois-Chicago Navy Pier. Concordia College joined the group and the first sporting event was a baseball tournament on Memorial Day weekend of 1950 at the University of Chicago's Stagg Field.
The men's basketball coaches met in February of 1972 to form their conference sport that started with the 1973-74 season. The original basketball members were Illinois Institute of Technology, Saint Xavier College, Northeastern Illinois University, University of Illinois-Chicago Circle, Purdue University Calumet, Trinity Christian College and College of St. Francis. The conference also added cross country and tennis in the mid-1970's and women’s sports in the early 1980’s.
“The CCAC welcomes Governors State to our conference,” said CCAC Council of Presidents’ representative Dr. Arvid Johnson, who also serves as the president at University of St. Francis.
Governors State will become the 31st school to hold membership in the league since its inception when the Jaguars join the conference next fall.
Governors State, which transitioned from a two-year college to a four-year university this fall, was accepted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) at its 2015 Convention and started competing in intercollegiate athletics this fall. The Jaguars sponsor seven sports – men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf and women’s volleyball – with expansion into other sports once the core seven sports get established.
“The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference is excited to announce our newest member, Governors State University,” said CCAC Commissioner Jeff Schimmelpfennig. “Governors State’s administration and athletic staff have displayed an enthusiasm and structure that made our conference presidents excited to bring them into the league.”
Governors State’s addition will keep the CCAC membership total at its current 15-school level with current members Purdue University Calumet (Ind.) and Purdue University North Central (Ind.) combining their schools’ and athletic programs’ to become Purdue University Northwest with the start of the 2016-17 academic year. Governors State’s addition will also allow the league to maintain its status as the largest conference in the nearly 300-school association.
“Governors State University is proud to be accepted into the CCAC,” stated Governors State University President Dr. Elaine Maimon. “We admire the CCAC’s integration of academics and athletics and its strong commitment to the student-athlete.
“On behalf of the entire GSU community, I want to thank the CCAC presidents for inviting us to join this distinguished conference.”
The majority of the conference resides in Governors State’s own Chicagoland backyard with the likes of Judson University (Elgin, Ill.), Olivet Nazarene University (Bourbonnais, Ill.), Robert Morris University (Chicago), Roosevelt University (Chicago), Saint Xavier University (Chicago), University of St. Francis (Joliet, Ill.), Trinity Christian College (Palos Heights, Ill.) and Trinity International University (Deerfield, Ill.). Representing the state of Indiana are Calumet College of St. Joseph (Whiting), Holy Cross College (Notre Dame), Indiana University South Bend, Purdue Calumet (Hammond) and Purdue North Central (Westville). Milwaukee, Wis. is home to Cardinal Stritch University, while St. Ambrose University (Davenport, Iowa) became the first school to represent the conference from Iowa when it joined the league at the start of the current academic year.
The CCAC sponsors the sports of baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s outdoor track & field and men’s and women’s volleyball.
“We are very excited to be a part of one of the toughest conferences in the country both on and off the playing fields,” said Governors State director of athletics Tony Bates. “We hope to carry the CCAC tradition of classroom intellect and hard play for many years to come.”
The groundwork for the CCAC stemmed from a meeting of baseball coaches in the fall of 1949. Attending that meeting was Kyle Anderson of the University of Chicago, Ed Glancy of Illinois Institute of Technology, George Boyle of Chicago Teachers College (now Northeastern Illinois University) and Les Miller of the University of Illinois-Chicago Navy Pier. Concordia College joined the group and the first sporting event was a baseball tournament on Memorial Day weekend of 1950 at the University of Chicago's Stagg Field.
The men's basketball coaches met in February of 1972 to form their conference sport that started with the 1973-74 season. The original basketball members were Illinois Institute of Technology, Saint Xavier College, Northeastern Illinois University, University of Illinois-Chicago Circle, Purdue University Calumet, Trinity Christian College and College of St. Francis. The conference also added cross country and tennis in the mid-1970's and women’s sports in the early 1980’s.
“The CCAC welcomes Governors State to our conference,” said CCAC Council of Presidents’ representative Dr. Arvid Johnson, who also serves as the president at University of St. Francis.
Governors State will become the 31st school to hold membership in the league since its inception when the Jaguars join the conference next fall.
