Berry, Oglethorpe creating new Division III Conference

Berry College is joining with seven other premier Southern private liberal arts colleges to form a new athletic conference in NCAA Division III.

The eight schools, which become founding members of the new conference, are Berry College, Birmingham-Southern College, Centre College, Hendrix College, Millsaps College, Oglethorpe University, Rhodes College, and Sewanee: the University of the South.

Seven of the schools are withdrawing from the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) in order to form the new conference which has not yet been named. Berry College has completed two years of a four-year provisional membership in NCAA Division III and has not joined a conference. The new conference will become operational in fall of 2012.

Although details for the new conference are still being developed among the schools, presidents of the eight schools have notified the NCAA of their intention to form the new conference.

“We believe that our institutions will be well-served by an alliance of private colleges which share a commitment to academic excellence, competitive athletics and opportunities for student-athletes wishing to take part in an exceptional campus experience,” said Steve Briggs, president of Berry.