CCO SUPPORTS USI MOVING FROM NCAA DIVISION II TO NCAA DIVISION I
by the City-County Observer Staff
The University of Southern Indiana (USI) campus on Evansville’s Westside has been transformed during the last few decades from a commuter campus to a fully equipped campus with state-of-the-art classrooms, advanced degrees, student housing, and a plethora of athletic facilities that are only exceeded by big nationally recognized programs. USI has an outstanding listing of successful graduates in our midst.
USI has always been competitive in every NCAA Division II intercollegiate that they participate in and starts most years with realistic visions of winning another national championship in multi-sports.
If the USI Trustees elevate the athletic teams to NCAA Division I, Evansville may become one of the smallest markets to have the distinction of being home to two Division I teams. That is a worthy distinction for the people down at “Visit Evansville” to tout as worth a visit.
We feel that the University of Southern Indiana is most certainly NCAA Division I ready as NKU, Bellarmine, or any of the other teams that have made the transition. From a facilities perspective, USI already has established an impressive collection of on-campus facilities that many NCAA Division I universities would love to have. Millions of dollars have been invested and much will be expected.
The City-County Observer would like to encourage USI to grab for the brass ring and become Evansville’s second NCCA Division I athletic program. This move will have positive impacts on campus life and even will serve to enhance academics and the future recruiting of student-athletes.
Go for it USI. Â The alumni, student-athletes, coaching staff, faculty and staff, student body, and the people of our region will be proud that you did!
Finally, we would like to publicly recognize the efforts of the charismatic USI President Ronald S. Rochon, the visionary USI Board of Trustees Chair Ronald Romain and his board members, and USI Athletic Director Jon Mark Hall and his staff for the outstanding work they quietly did behind the scene to ensure that USI will be in a position to continue to provide our community with the educational, economic, cultural, and athletic offerings that will make us proud in years to come.
