(03-14-2023 09:05 PM)Todor Wrote:  

(03-14-2023 09:00 AM)teamvsn Wrote:  I'm here at the NAIA Mens Basketball National Championship, and have talked to various people. Proposals like this have come up before and the response was very negative.

Thanks for the research. I had no idea the numbers were that low. I had a feeling the numbers would be low, but not that low. I suspect the membership targets for proposals like this are schools like West Coast Baptist and Bethesda, both So Cal schools in my area.

I agree this proposal probably won't pass, and I hope it doesnt.

Nearly every school that could conceivably even want to be NAIA is already pretty well known in small college circles I think. I really don’t think there are many dark horses out there.

I think the only realistic candidates would be a school like Paine that lost regional accreditation and had to leave D2 but are still accredited by one of the others, can receive federal aid, might be down at the moment but aren’t out yet. NAIA could be a real boost for them that might allow them to keep much needed athletic recruiting closer to a level they were used to. They are about the only example fitting that scenario. Even Paul Quinn is a slightly different situation.

Another type of school that could benefit from NAIA is one that is philosophically opposed to accreditation/over sight and only maintain the minimum to receive federal aid, or eschew it all together. Pensacola Christian is the one I am thinking of. But they are good sized and have the money to have a well funded sports program if they wanted. But again, few schools from either association fit this profile. West Coast Baptist probably does, tho on a smaller scale than Pensacola.

The problem is, in the ABHE and TRACS, the majority of schools are small bible institutes with few students and offering nothing but ministerial training programs/majors. Many have no housing, some of only part time or night programs housed in churches or one small building. Many don’t resemble a traditional small college and many are nearly all adults.

The schools that are trying to grow thru sports might have a few other majors but remain so small and financially fragile that they really cannot afford regional accreditation. Dallas Christian and Arlington Baptist come to mind here. Their sports offerings are enrollment boosts but can’t really grow due to their financial situations. And this type of school is definitely a minority in both associations.

Rumors circulated approximately 15 years ago about a possible merger between NAIA and NCAA, which would have resulted in NAIA becoming the new Division 3. Both NCAA D2 and NAIA have similar issues, with many schools hesitant to join D2 when they see schools like Chicago State, with better resources and funding, competing at the D1 level. Additionally, some NAIA programs, like Jamestown, express interest in moving up. The closure of Presentation and other factors force other NAIA schools to decide between more travel or transitioning to D2. Men's soccer on the West Coast is nearly non-existent, leaving schools with the option of increasing travel or dropping the sport entirely. Small private schools may also struggle to survive with just 30 students missing - hard decision for some.

I strongly believe that NCAA D2 should be divided into two divisions: one for fully funded programs with full-time head coaches and scholarship manipulations, and another for part-time coaches and small schools, similar to NAIA. NAIA has a much better tournament structure. I am puzzled by the fact that Black Hills State and Augustana are in different regions, while Missouri schools are in separate regions as well.

The scholarship model for NAIA is much different than NCAA, teams would naturally start to struggle.