The NCAA Division I Southland Conference told ACU administrators they would be making an official visit to campus this summer.
Southland Conference presidents met Wednesday and voted to travel to ACU, University of the Incarnate Word and the University of New Orleans after three schools recently left the conference. The SLC already added Oral Roberts University and Houston Baptist University, but it is unsure if any of these three visited schools will be given an invitation to join the league.
Abilene Christian began the Division I process in April 2010. School officials have had on-campus forums for faculty and staff to discuss the results from its research, and also have met face-to-face with donors from all over the country to talk about the possibility of moving to DI.
ACU president Dr. Phil Schubert, ACU vice president of advancement Phil Boone and director of athletics Jared Mosley all met with Southland Conference officials last January in Frisco to discuss whether ACU is ready to jump to Division I.
ACU officials were told presidents could make a decision in March at the conference’s post-season basketball tournament in Katy, but the discussion about adding members was stalled until May 23.
On July 1, 2012, the SLC is losing the University of Texas-Arlington, the University of Texas-San Antonio and Texas State University to the Western Athletics Conference (WAC), which until recently had football powerhouse Boise State University.
In July 2013, UTA and Texas State will move to the Sun Belt Conference while UTSA is joining Conference USA.
The Wildcats are no stranger to the Southland Conference. The ‘Cats were a founding member of the league in 1963. ACU remained in the SLC until after the 1973 athletic year. They then re-classified to NAIA Division I status and joined the Lone Star Conference.
