CIAA Goes Into "Expansion Mode" After Finalizing Strategic Plan

Duck, NC – The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Board of Directors at its annual meeting, May 11-12, completed a thorough strategic plan. The plan is designed to enhance the continued long-term viability of the conference. As a result of the planning process, the Board identified conference expansion as a major priority for the immediate future. Increased television and media exposure for the conference, as well as overall academic enhancement are some of the conference’s major strategic goals.

“As we begin to carry out the goals of our strategic plan, we consider expansion of the membership as a means to enhance the CIAA,” says Dr. Mickey Burnim, Chancellor of Elizabeth City State University and Chairman of the Board of Directors. “As we evaluate potential members, the conference will only consider inviting institutions who share similar academic standards, athletic progress and values.”

The CIAA, the nation’s oldest historically black college conference, is comprised of 12 colleges and universities located in Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia. With a significant alumni base spanning the East Coast, expansion plans will be focused geographically northward as far as Pennsylvania and as far south as Georgia.

“The Board has unanimously endorsed the conference to move to a mode of expansion,” says Dr. Burnim. “We believe expansion will allow the conference to meet its strategic goals and ensure future and continuous viability.”