Important Dates & Reminders
DECEMBER 15: Deadline for transcripts to be received for students who need an eligibility center decision prior to the holiday closure.

DECEMBER 23-JANUARY 3: The NAIA national office is closed and the eligibility center will offer limited services for winter holiday.
News
NEW: President Jim Carr Featured on Higher Ed Advisor Podcast

NAIA President & CEO Jim Carr was the featured guest on the Higher Ed Advisor Podcast: NAIA Helps Institutions Align Student Success Strategies with Collegiate Athletics. He shared insights about the NAIA's Return on Athletics® initiative and how athletics can be used to drive enrollment and revenue.
NEW: 2021 Senior Football Classic

The coaching staff, the east roster and the west roster have been selected for the 2021 Senior Football Classic, which will take place on December 17 in Durham, North Carolina. Fans can tune-in to the Senior Football Classic on the NAIA Network for free.
Championships
NEW: Missouri Baptist Captures Women's Volleyball Title

Missouri Baptist defeated Park University (Missouri) in five sets to win the 2021 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship on December 4 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Missouri Baptist was also the national champion in 2020, making this only the fifth time a team has won back-to-back national championships in women's volleyball.


NEW: Keiser University Wins Men's Soccer Championship

In a battle between the #3 and #5 tournament seeds, Keiser University (Florida) upset the University of Mobile by a score of 2-0 to win the 2021 men's soccer national championship. The game took place in Decatur, Georgia on December 6. This is the first men's soccer national championship in program history for Keiser.


NEW: Penalty Kicks Determine Women's Soccer National Champion

After two overtime periods and a score of 3-3, Tennessee Southern was able to top William Carey (Mississippi) in penalty kicks, 5-4, earning the national championship title on December 6 in Orange Beach, Alabama. This was Tennessee Southern's third women's soccer national championship.
Sponsors
NEW: NAIA Partners with Front Rush Recruiting Software

Front Rush has been named the "Official Recruiting Software Provider" of the NAIA. Front Rush is one of the largest recruiting software providers in the country and will provide NAIA programs a limited free trial to their recruiting and compliance software.
NEW: USCAH Webinar

The United States Council for Athletes' Health will host a webinar - Athletic Training Shortages and Retention in College Athletics - on December 16 at 12 p.m. Eastern. This is the first webinar in their multi-part series "Reimagining Athletic Medicine & Student-Athlete Health and Welfare in 2022 and Beyond." Click here to register.
NEW: Hudl Webinar

Hudl will host a Breakthrough Webinar: Digital Leadership Summit for Women in Sports on December 14, 2021. Register for this free event here.
Eligibility
NEW: Eligibility Center New Hire

Saeed Halim has joined the NAIA Eligibility Center as a manager of international eligibility services. Saeed brings several years of professional experience as well as Spanish fluency. He completed his undergrad in Spanish and Business Administration at Wartburg College and went on to receive his master’s in Latin American & Caribbean Studies from Indiana University. Saeed is a former college student-athlete and a past winner of the NAIA High School Champions of Character award. 
NEW: Reminder Intersession Credits

Many students take courses over the winter intersession to prepare for spring term eligibility. Keep in mind that courses taken during the winter must be listed on the official transcript in the fall or winter terms in order to count toward spring 2022 eligibility. Credits listed as spring cannot be used toward spring eligibility. Please remind students to double check inter-term enrollment to ensure they’ll be eligible this spring. 


NEW: Winter Holiday Limited Coverage

We will provide limited service December 27 through 31 during the NAIA’s winter holiday. Institutions who need a decision during this time will need to submit an urgency request.  
InCred
NEW: Adjusted Hours for InCred Phone Lines

The InCred office is temporarily adjusting its schedule to accept live calls between 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Central. This will allow more time for InCred staff to process the current high volume of applicants. Once the number of applicants decreases, InCred plans to return to answering calls during the standard business hours of 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Central. We appreciate your patience.
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