University Of The District Of Columbia Set To Join ECC As Full-Time Member Beginning 2011-12
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (March 30, 2011) - The University of the District of Columbia will join the East Coast Conference as a full-time member beginning in the 2011-2012 academic year, Dr. Edward Guiliano, Chair of the East Coast Conference President's Council announced today.
“We're pleased to welcome the University of the District of Columbia into the East Coast Conference,” said Dr. Guiliano, President of New York Institute of Technology, on behalf of the ECC Council of Presidents. “UDC has displayed its dedication to building a well-run, competitive collegiate athletic program. The ECC is committed to providing opportunities for the overall development of our student-athletes as they compete in a growing, successful athletic conference and we feel strongly that UDC will support this mission.”
The addition of the University of the District of Columbia marks the first expansion by the East Coast Conference since 2002. The ECC members agreed that the nation's capital offers great educational and cultural opportunities for the institutions and student-athletes, as well as enhancing new athletic and recruiting options.
The University of the District of Columbia Firebirds, currently an NCAA Division II Independent, have been associate members of the East Coast Conference in men's and women's tennis since 2009. The Firebirds will compete in six other ECC-sponsored sports including men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's soccer, and volleyball. The University of the District of Columbia also fields varsity women's indoor and outdoor track teams.
“We are truly excited about this announcement, both for the East Coast Conference and its student-athletes, as well as for UDC,” said ECC Commissioner Dr. Robert Dranoff. “We have been working with UDC Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Patricia Thomas for many months on this idea and believe that we have done a thorough job of getting to know UDC. Patricia has done a tremendous job on developing all aspects of the athletic program and we feel UDC will fit well with our institutions.”
"Becoming a full member of the outstanding East Coast Conference is a milestone,” said Patricia Thomas. “The Conference's mission reflects our core values. ECC membership provides many opportunities that significantly enrich the student-athlete experience and we are proud to take this step."
UDC President Dr. Allen L. Sessoms echoed Thomas' sentiments saying, "I am thrilled that our Firebirds are now officially associated with such a well-regarded conference. I look forward to a great relationship with the ECC and the fine teams competing in it."
The addition of the University of the District of Columbia brings full-time membership in the ECC to nine institutions. Other full members include the University of Bridgeport (Bridgeport, Conn.), C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University (Brookville, N.Y.), Dowling College (Oakdale, N.Y.), Mercy College (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.), Molloy College (Rockville Centre, N.Y.), New York Institute of Technology (Old Westbury, N.Y.), Queens College (Flushing, N.Y.), and St. Thomas Aquinas College (Sparkill, N.Y.).