DURHAM, North Carolina - Excerpted from an interview that originally appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of NCCU Now.In 2011–12, North Carolina Central University entered Division I athletic competition as a full member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
Composed of teams from 13 historically black universities from Delaware to Florida, the MEAC is in the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision, the second tier of Division I. As NCCU’s first year of competition at this higher level draws to a close, Dr. Ingrid Wicker-McCree, the university’s athletics director, talked with NCCU NOW editor Rob Waters about the rewards and challenges of Division I membership, and predicted a bright future for Eagle teams.
Q. How does it help NCCU to be in Division I?
The biggest benefit is that we’re now aligned with schools that share our academic profile. And it so happens that it is a Division I conference. Our profile – with all of our new programs, including our new Ph.D. program, is similar to that of most MEAC schools. Almost all are master’s level and Ph.D. level. The geographic base of the MEAC is broader than the CIAA – Delaware to Florida – so it gives us exposure and an opportunity to recruit students and student-athletes from a much greater recruiting base.
The four-year transition period when we weren’t in a conference was a difficult time, but it did improve our national visibility. Our teams were playing all over the country – often in front of people who didn’t previously know about NCCU. West of Texas there are no HBCUs, so we were able to reach out to a population of students, some of whom might like to go to an HBCU but don’t have that option in their home states, and show them, “Here’s a school you might consider.”
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