DePauw to join NCAC in 2012

DePauw will join the North Coast Athletic Conference, effective July 1, 2011, and effective with the 2012 football season. The school has been a member of the SCAC since 1998.

"After careful consideration of the advantages of membership in this conference, and of the adjustments that would be required in leaving our current conference, we have decided to accept this invitation," university president Brian Casey announced.

Twenty of DePauw's 21 intercollegiate athletic programs will move to the NCAC effective July 1, 2011.

In football, the annual Monon Bell game between DePauw and Wabash would be a conference game as well starting in 2012.

Casey said: "Many factors played a part in this decision. Chief among them was a desire for a less strenuous and more environmentally friendly travel regimen for our teams," noting that the NCAC membership stretches across Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, while SCAC includes institutions in Texas, Mississippi and Colorado. The move to the NCAC, the president adds, aligns DePauw with "strong institutions with a similar focus on academic excellence and the overall development of the student with fewer strains on both schedules and budgets."

"Like the SCAC, the NCAC is committed to broad-based athletic programs, gender equity, and the campus integration of student-athletes," says athetic director Page Cotton. "We are very excited about this new partnership, which is a great fit for DePauw."