Important Dates & Reminders
Reminder to Update NAIAHelp Profiles
Please be sure to update your institutional NAIAHelp profiles before the academic year begins. All ADs, registrars, FARs, and coaches must be accurate to certify eligibility, so make sure they are current to avoid any delays in eligibility certification.

OCTOBER 3-4: NAIA Fall Meetings in Kansas City, Mo.
News
NEW: 2021-22 Official & Policy Handbook

NEW: Summer 2021 Rules Education Guide

The large number of COVID-related exceptions made in 2020-21 has resulted in uncertainty as to how the exceptions will affect student-athletes going forward. To assist with these questions, Legislative Services has created the Summer 2021 Rules Education Guide, which details how those COVID exceptions should be calculated and incorporated into ECP certificates. A Rules Education PPT is also available for training purposes.
NEW: Five-Star Award Winners

Congratulations to the 157 institutions and 17 conferences that earned the Champions of Character® Five-Star Award Winner designation for 2020-21! The complete list of award winners can be found here.
NEW: NAIA National Office Job Openings

The NAIA national office has several open positions:



NEW: NAIA National Office New Hires

Lendsey Thomson has been named the NAIA's newest championship manager. Thomson has served as the NAIA's manager of legislative services for the past four years and prior to that was both a practicing attorney and a baseball coach for the Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Jeff Melton has been hired as the NAIA's athletics communications manager. Melton previously served as the assistant director of athletics for events and communications at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California.
NEW: NAC Executive Committee Summaries

Summaries of the two most recent NAC Executive Committee Meetings are now available online:

Seeking Nominations for the Collegiate Student-Athlete of Character Award

The NAIA is seeking nominations for the Collegiate Student-Athlete of Character Award, which recognizes a student-athlete for a specific of act of character displayed during competition or practice that reflects at least one of the five Champions of Character® core values. Teams are also eligible to be nominated for this award. One overall winner will be chosen and recognized at the Champions of Character Foundation Luncheon on November 9. To nominate an individual or a team, click here.

Please email Kalyn Kastelic or call 816.595.8101.

Return on Athletics®
NEW: ROA Research Brief #1: Retention Rate By Sport

Do certain sports retain better than others? Do men’s teams retain at a higher rate than women’s teams? How do the highest net return sports retain?

Through ROA data we began to examine these questions in our first in a series of research briefs -- Retention Rate By Sport
Sponsors
NEW: Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental are NAIA Partners

Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental are now official car rental providers for the NAIA. Members can enjoy the valuable benefits of both brands at over 9,100 locations worldwide and also experience speed, choice and control as an Emerald Club member.

If you're already an Emerald Club member, click here to connect your profile to our corporate contract. Select Enroll in the Club. Next find and select the Sign In option under the Personal Information section. Once you sign in, you will be asked to confirm that you would like to update your profile with our new company account.
Eligibility
NEW: Submitting Summer Transcripts
Students enrolled in classes this summer will be required to submit final summer grades beginning September 1, 2021, in order to receive an eligibility decision. Students with summer 2021 enrollment who do not submit transcripts complete through summer 2021 will not be placed in line for review.


NEW: EC by the Numbers

The following numbers reflect the eligibility center’s processing status as of August 9, 2021.
  • About 13,345 students are currently within the eligibility process*.
  • 33,989 students have begun registration for the 2021-22 academic year so far, 20,644 of whom have already received a decision.
*This includes students who have registered but not yet submitted their profiles, need to make payment, are in line for review and students whose reviews are currently underway.
 
For the past two weeks:
All (domestic and international) freshmen without a break.
  • We are issuing decisions for these students in an average of 0.12 business days from their ready date.
  • We are currently working on freshmen students without a break who became ready on 8/9/2021.
Domestic students with a break and transfers
  • We are issuing decisions for these students in an average of 6.18 business days from their ready date.
  • We are currently working on break/transfer students who became ready on 8/2/2021.
International students with a break and transfers
  • We are issuing decisions for these students in an average of 13.93 business days from their ready date.
  • We are currently working on international break/transfer students who became ready on 8/4/2021.
Championships
Facility Certifications for Opening Rounds Due September 1
September 1 is the deadline to submit a facility certification to host an opening round in any sport.


For the full list of 2021-22 approved opening round facilities, click here.
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