America East Focuses on Sustaining Excellence at Fall Meetings
BOSTON – After one of the most successful years in its history, America East continued its work towards further strengthening its position at the conference’s annual fall meeting in Providence Oct. 9-10. Productive sessions, positive discussion and key decisions highlighted the meetings, which were attended by the conference’s athletic directors, SWAs and other select administrators along with conference staff.
“Over the past several years, we have worked hard at excelling in each of our #3Pillars – Academic Achievement, Athletic Excellence and Leadership On and Off the Field – and strengthened our position as an elite mid-major conference dedicated to its broad-based athletic mission, prioritization of academic achievement and investment of resources in causes such as diversity, inclusion and mental health that are of the utmost importance to our student-athletes and their collegiate experience,” said America East Commissioner, Amy Huchthausen. “Our meetings were focused on items that contribute to our success and continuing to fortify our position in these key areas.”
The athletic directors had productive conversations regarding the successful 2017-18 academic year and how to best build and capitalize off that success to further elevate the strong position of the conference. Among the action steps taken was the establishment of a Men’s Basketball Working Group, which is charged with identifying areas of potential improvement within the conference collectively and recommending a plan aimed at meeting the working group’s objectives. Additionally, support was expressed for the conference’s roadmaps in the areas of health & safety, student-athlete engagement and content strategy as well as the use of a consultant to optimize conference schedules in all team sports.
Among the key action items approved were:
- In a move to reinforce the conference’s position as leaders in the area of diversity and inclusion, the athletic directors approved a formal partnership with RISE, the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality, which uses the unifying power of sports to improve race relations and drive social progress. The two-year agreement will focus on research and analysis of each member institutions’ current practices as well as education and outreach. More information on the partnership will be released in coming weeks.
- An agreement between the conference and the University of California – Berkeley, UC Davis, University of the Pacific and Stanford University, all current associate members in field hockey, was approved that extends all four associate memberships for the 2019 season. The 2019 America East Field Hockey Championship will feature six teams (four from the East Division and two from the West Division) and will be played at the site of the East Division #1 seed on Nov. 7-9. The four schools will join UAlbany, Maine, UMass Lowell, New Hampshire, Vermont and associate member Monmouth University as America East field hockey playing institutions for the 2019 season.
- The University of Hartford was approved as the site of the 2019 America East Softball Championship.
The America East Conference provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field. One of the most comprehensive Division I conferences in the country and progressive in its approach to its more than 3,200 student-athletes. America East recognizes champions in each of its 18 sports and consists of members spanning from the Mid-Atlantic to Northeast regions of the United States including: University at Albany, Binghamton University, University of Hartford, University of Maine, UMBC, UMass Lowell, University of New Hampshire, Stony Brook University and University of Vermont.
– #3Pillars – Building the Complete Student-Athlete –