June 2008
Hello Lancers,
It’s Official! Longwood has concluded its first year as a member of NCAA Division I, realizing the vision of our institution’s President, Dr. Patricia P. Cormier. As such, the focus of Intercollegiate Athletics will now shift from “what does it take to become Division I?” to “how do we become a consistent winner – on the field and in the classroom?”
The next steps toward our road to success will consist of the following: finding a conference home for all of our sports; beginning the strategic planning process to address academic achievement and athletic success; and establishing our brand image while continuing to enhance the relationship between Longwood and its alumni and friends through athletics.
Conference Search
In the area of Athletics, the number one priority for Longwood is to gain conference affiliation. Conference affiliation exponentially increases the Division I experience for all involved, and benefits the University by increasing exposure of the institution. Dr. Cormier and I have had discussions with administrators in various conferences, including the America East, the Atlantic Sun, and the Ohio Valley. There has not been any significant movement, however, we will continue to assess any feasible conference options.
It is important to note that the conferences highlighted above do not sponsor all of the sports that Longwood fields, specifically field hockey and women’s lacrosse. We have explored the option of collaborating with other institutions that have independent women’s lacrosse programs.
Field Hockey is a member of the Northern Pacific (NorPac) Field Hockey Conference and affords our student-athletes a regular season conference schedule and a post-season conference tournament. The NorPac Tournament Champion advances to the NCAA Tournament with an automatic berth, or as a representative of the NCAA play-in game.
Strategic Planning
In September of 2007, the Longwood Board of Visitors approved a five year strategic plan, From Vision to Action: The Five-Year Plan. The Plan provides University constituents the framework with which Longwood will advance, succeed, and affect change:
1. Distinctive Impact
Longwood University serves as a unique and dynamic agent for positive and sustainable change within and among its communities and constituencies.
2. Engaged Learning
The Longwood University community demonstrates a commitment for lifelong learning that results in personal and professional growth through emphasizing active involvement, collaboration, and application of knowledge.
3. Superior Performance
Longwood University achieves excellence in institutional effectiveness through continual improvement.
4. Responsible Stewardship
Longwood University embraces its responsibility to manage human, cultural, environmental, fiscal, and capital resources effectively.
The Intercollegiate Athletics Department will develop a strategy to complement the University’s Plan and set a standard of success for intercollegiate athletics. This will be an all-inclusive process in which the insights, thoughts and feelings of all intercollegiate athletics department members will be involved.
Enhanced School Spirit
In Dr. Cormier’s vision to elevate Athletics to Division I, one of the ideals that she believed in was utilizing the elevated competition to enhance the sense of school spirit. During my time at Longwood, I have seen tangible signs of this ideal being realized. Whether it is a packed Willett Hall during a thrilling men’s basketball victory over Liberty or the many alumni who have expressed excitement at seeing Longwood on the ESPN “crawl line,” the excitement is building amongst the Longwood and Farmville communities and beyond. Ultimately, the ability to bring people together and unite for one cause is a real benefit of Intercollegiate Athletics.
