Important Dates

January 16

The national office, eligibility center, and InCred offices will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

February 1

2022-23 Inter-session transcripts required. See below for more details.

March 30-April 3

NAIA National Convention will be hosted in New Orleans, Louisiana. Details below.

News

2023 National Convention Registration Open

Join the NAIA at the 82nd Annual NAIA National Convention to be held March 30-April 3, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Convention attendees have numerous opportunities to network with peers, learn through professional development, and hear from association leaders on the progress of the NAIA. 

Hotel reservations are made separately from convention registration. More details about the registration process can be found here. Questions? Contact Amy Stover at 816.595.8117 or Noel Henke at 816.595.8115.

"The Room" Speaker Series - Further Discussions

Interested in facilitating discussions around “The Room” Speaker Series at your institution or within your ASA/SALT/SAAC? Join us for a conversation with “The Room” moderator Dr. Katie Ervin. Dr. Ervin will engage in a conversation with attendees about the program and the topics covered throughout the speaker series. Join us on live zoom discussion: 

Tuesday, January 24^th, 1:30PM CST

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89805987536

Meeting ID: 898 0598 7536

Championships

Northwestern (Iowa) Wins Football Championship

Scoring 28 second half points, No. 3 seed Northwestern (Iowa) secure its third-ever NAIA National Championship by winning 35-25 over No. 12 Keiser (Fla.). The game took place December 17 in Durham, North Carolina.

The championship snapped a 39-year drought, which included a championship loss in spring 2020. The Red Raiders finished the season winning 13 straight games and their lone loss of the season was by one point to rival Morningside (Iowa).

New Championships Manager

Samantha Liermann joined the NAIA's championship team this week. Previously, Samantha served as an assistant track and field coach at Concordia University in Nebraska. She was also a student-athlete for the Bulldogs, winning multiple individual national championships in the shotput event. Samantha will be overseeing cross country, indoor and outdoor track, and cheer & dance.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Senior Women Leaders Lunch and Learn

The next Senior Women Leaders Lunch and Learn will be Wednesday, January 25 at 12 p.m. Central. The topic is SSAC Women - Leading Change in the NAIA Through Conference Efforts. Presenters include: Kim Hays, Jessica Garriga and Jesse Zabal.

Black History Month: Celebrating HBCUs

To celebrate Black History Month in February 2023, the NAIA will highlight each of our 23 HBCU schools. This month we will spotlight the rich history and culture of our HBCU’s past, present and future. Please share your HBCU stories with us here. #BlackHistoryMonth

Partner Highlight

Meet Mammoth Architect Mike Keys

As a sports architect, I’ve been lucky enough to work on projects like expanding Sanford Stadium at the University of Georgia and designing the football locker room at Northwest Missouri State.

But it’s not the big-name projects that stick out as most rewarding for me. It’s the relationships developed with athletics directors, administrators, and coaches during the projects. There is nothing more fulfilling than working together to achieve your goals and enjoying laughs along the way.  

You have challenges and dreams in front of you. I’d love to hear them.

Matt Keys is Director of Sports Design for Mammoth. Connect with him on LinkedIn @makeys or send an email to matt.keys@mammothbuilt.com 

Eligibility

Winter Inter-session transcripts Required Starting February 1

Students enrolled in winter 2022-23 non-term coursework will be required to submit final summer grades beginning February 1, 2023 in order to receive an eligibility decision. Students with winter 2022-23 enrollment who do not submit transcripts with complete through the non-term will not be placed in line for review.

January Eligibility Edge

Check out this month's issue of the Eligibility Edge, a newsletter dedicated exclusively to NAIA eligibility topics. For questions regarding newsletter distribution or to add someone to the email list before the October issue, please contact Jen Saab.