One year down, three to go.
With UC Davis close to completing its first year of Division I provisional status in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, it's clear that a long grind is ahead to full D-I eligibility.
Along the way the university must comply with a myriad of NCAA regulations and prepare its programs while keeping the ultimate focus on education instead of end zones.
That's important, for unlike some more notorious NCAA athletic powerhouses, the campus originally known as the "University Farm" has historically nurtured well-rounded student-athletes instead of one-dimensional jocks.
And UC Davis aims to keep it that way.
A better fit
For now, Division I -- the transition, that is -- feels different.
One reason is that during the four-year provisional status period, UC Davis will be not be eligible for NCAA postseason competition in Division I. That's a big adjustment to make for players and coaches who, by nature, seek post-season glory.
Sue Williams, longtime cross-country coach and physical education program director, says the Division I transition is a learning experience for everyone.
"We are all relieved to have the first year of the transition completed, and it's been a very challenging year for everyone," said Williams. "I've admired the way the athletes have made the adjustment to lack of postseason and given intensity to the regular-season competition. That has been a big adjustment for the coaches, too, as well as preparing for all the NCAA compliance changes."
Division I may be new territory, but it may feel more like home in some ways.
In announcing the switch in March 2003, Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef said the Division I Big West Conference offered a better academic, philosophical and competitive "fit" than Div-ision II, where schools average 4,000 students -- compared to UC Davis' 22,000 undergrads -- and where former Division II competitors are dropping sports or moving to Division I.
Vanderhoef said that eligibility rules are more stringent at the Division I level than at Division II. And the rules are expected to become even stronger in the next few years.
"Those new rules will be similar to ones UC Davis has already introduced, for example, imposing sanctions on the coach if team graduation rates drop below campuswide graduations rates," Vanderhoef explained.
He said that athletes are not overly concerned about the lack of postseason play. "Recruiting is as good as ever, as is the intensity and competitiveness of seasonal play."
And new facilities continue to move forward, Vanderhoef said. "They are sorely needed, and would have been built in any event, but they will especially suit our new D-I circumstance."
The Schaal Aquatics facility opened a few months ago, new tennis courts are expected to be ready in the fall and a new multi-use stadium is set to go before the UC Board of Regents.
The long view
It's one step at a time in D-I transitions.
In 2003-04, the campus was considered Division II in scheduling against Division I opponents and Division I against Division II opponents. Beginning this fall 2004-05, UC Davis will be considered Division I and will begin play in the new Great West Conference, except for the football program, which will compete at the Division I-AA level.
"While we have been accepted into the Big West Conference, we are to be referred to as future Big West Conference members until our first year of active Division I membership in 2007-08," said Mike Robles, assistant athletic director for media relations. "We begin some competition with conference schools next year and will be assimilated into their scheduling, but will not be official members until 2007-08."
Robles said that the Division I transition takes about five years of preparation if one includes an exploratory year in 2002-03.
Melvin Ramey, Graduate Studies associate dean and faculty athletics representative, says UC Davis operated its Division II program similar to D-I programs, following a higher set of standards than other Division II schools in areas like academic performance and recruiting.
In other words, Ramey said, it was about time Davis went Division I.
"Athletics is another program that is maturing just like other ones at UC Davis," said Ramey, whose role as faculty athletics representative is to keep an eye on recruiting and academic standards among student-athletes while also steering forward the Division I transition.
Debunking myths
Ramey said one misconception is that Division I programs have to take short cuts to be successful. "There's a myth you have to do things under the table in order to produce good athletic teams and players. That's not the way it is at UC Davis. Our basketball program doesn't define us the way it may at other schools," he said.
Ramey chairs the Athletics Administrative Advisory Committee, which advises Student Affairs on the development of policies and procedures related to intercollegiate athletics and intramural and club sports programs.
Sometimes confusion arises over the term "Division I" and how it applies.
UC Davis is Division I-AA in football only, and Division I in all other sports, Robles explained. Division I-A only refers to Division-I institutions that play football at the I-A level and have a maximum of 85 of athletic grants-in-aids, among other requirements. The term Division I-AA refers to institutions that play at the Division I-AA level, as Davis will, and distribute up to 63 full athletic grants as one of the requirements, he added.
UC Davis will retain its Division II designation until 2007-08, Robles said. "The way I explain it to people is that although we are utilizing all Division I rules and regulations beginning in 2004-05, until the NCAA officially flips the switch for the 2007-08 season. We are still officially Division II.
He noted, "It is a strange concept because several media groups, most noticeably in football, already consider UC Davis as D-I and have included us in their coverage of D-I. That's where it sometimes gets confusing. Even some opponents already consider us Division I."
Academic connections
In March 2003, Academic Senate faculty members voted 556 to 271 in opposition to a move from Division II to Division I. Their vote was advisory to the chancellor.
Kevin Hoover, an economics professor, says the move to Division I impinges on student admissions, curriculum, budget and academic personnel. He notes the "rights and responsibilities" of the Academic Senate faculty in these areas and questions the need for Division I sports at all in an academic environment. "What connection does the quasi-professional D-I sports have to the academic and research missions of the university? None," Hoover said.
He raises reports of other Division I institutions around the country not faring so well.
"There are campuses in which the coach is more influential than the chancellor; campuses in which the rules of civilized behavior are suspended for athletes and teams," said Hoover. "Why do would we think that the same pitfalls and temptations won't stand on UC Davis' path as well?"
Division I athletics made national headlines this year when a recruiting scandal rocked the University of Colorado athletic program. The university is investigating university and athletic department policies on whether sex and alcohol were used to entice recruits.
"The lesson is that you have to follow the rules," said Ramey. "We're aware of all the rules here at UC Davis."
Focus on students
Like Ramey, Williams says the university is deeply committed to the philosophy of the teacher-coach even though this approach is uncommon in D-I where, usually, coaches only coach and do not teach.
"Everyone on campus, especially intercollegiate athletics, wants to keep athletics closely connected to the mission of the campus and the campus community," Williams said.
Williams added that the coaches "like to teach, and the students fill up every physical education class we put out there."
One challenge, she said, is to find a balance in the workload for coaches, since the move to Division I comes with "an escalation in all aspects of coaching responsibilities."
Vanderhoef says that in the larger scheme, the process has gone smoothly. "I especially appreciated the work of two senate-appointed committees, but every involved person or group has worked extraordinarily hard to make this a success from the very beginning."