List of NCAA Division I conference realignments (2000–present)
History -- 2003–2004
Table:
School

Sport(s)

Former Conference

New Conference

Birmingham–Southern Panthers[386]

All sports (non-football)

Independent

Big South

Centenary Gentlemen and Ladies[387]

All sports except for women's gymnastics and men's and women's rifle

Independent

Mid-Con

Dallas Baptist Patriots[388]

Baseball

Heartland Conference (D-II)

Independent

Drexel Dragons[389]

Baseball

CAA

Dropped baseball

Drexel Dragons[389]

Women's volleyball

CAA

Dropped women's volleyball

Elon Phoenix[390]

All sports

Big South

SoCon

Fairfield Stags

Football

MAAC

Dropped football

Fairfield Stags

Men's ice hockey

MAAC

Dropped hockey

Iona Gaels

Men's ice hockey

MAAC

Dropped hockey

Jacksonville State Gamecocks[391]

All sports except football and rifle

A-Sun

OVC

Jacksonville State Gamecocks[392]

Football

Southland

OVC

Jacksonville State Gamecocks[391]

Rifle

GARC

OVC

Lipscomb Bisons[393]

All sports (non-football)

Independent

A-Sun

Morris Brown Wolverines[394]

All sports

Independent

Discontinued athletics

Northern Colorado Bears

All

North Central (D-II)

Independent

Samford Bulldogs[395]

All sports except football

A-Sun

OVC

Samford Bulldogs[395]

Football

Division I-AA Independent

OVC

St. John's Red Storm[396]

Football

Division I-AA Independent

Dropped football

South Florida Bulls

Football

Division I-A Independent

Conference USA

UMBC Retrievers

All sports (non-football)

NEC

America East

By analysing the accompanying table along with the supporting evidence listed at the end.

Provide an answer to this question: What is the New Conference for the school that is situated on a 656-acre suburban campus between the cities of Greensboro and Raleigh ? Respond with the correct answer (omit explanations) in JSON format as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}.

Birmingham-Southern College ( BSC ) is a private liberal arts college in Birmingham , Alabama , United States . Founded in 1856 , the college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools ( SACS ) . More than 1300 students from 33 states and 16 foreign countries attend the college . Birmingham-Southern has a 13:1 student-faculty ratio , and 96% of full-time faculty hold a doctorate or the highest degree in their field .
Birmingham-Southern College ( BSC ) is a private liberal arts college in Birmingham , Alabama , United States . Founded in 1856 , the college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools ( SACS ) . More than 1300 students from 33 states and 16 foreign countries attend the college . Birmingham-Southern has a 13:1 student-faculty ratio , and 96% of full-time faculty hold a doctorate or the highest degree in their field .
The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA 's Division I . Originally a non-football conference , the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 . Its football teams are part of the Football Championship Subdivision ( FCS ) . The Big South , founded in 1983 , is firmly rooted in the South Atlantic region of the United States , with full member institutions located in North Carolina , South Carolina , and Virginia . Associate members are located in Alabama , Georgia , and New Jersey .
Centenary College of Louisiana is a private college in Shreveport , Louisiana . The college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church . Founded in 1825 , it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools ( SACS ) .
The Centenary Gentlemen and Ladies are composed of 16 teams representing Centenary College of Louisiana in intercollegiate athletics , including men and women 's basketball , cross country , golf , soccer , swimming , and tennis . Men 's sports include baseball and lacrosse . Women 's sports include gymnastics , softball , and volleyball . The Gentlemen and Ladies compete in the NCAA Division III and are members of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference . Prior to 2011 , Centenary was a member of the NCAA Division I , and competed in the Summit League .
The Summit League , or The Summit , is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States from Indiana and Illinois on the East of the Mississippi River to the Dakotas and Nebraska on the West , with additional members in the Western state of Colorado and the Southern state of Oklahoma . Founded as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities in 1982 , it was rebranded as the Mid-Continent Conference in 1989 . On June 1 , 2007 , the conference changed its name from the Mid-Continent Conference . League headquarters are in Sioux Falls , South Dakota . The membership currently consists of nine full members plus four associate members . In July 2020 , the University of Missouri-Kansas City will return as a full member after a seven-year absence with the new athletic identity of the Kansas City Roos , while Purdue University Fort Wayne will leave for the Horizon League . A total of 31 schools have been full members , but the only charter member remaining in the league today is Western Illinois University .
Dallas Baptist University ( DBU ) , formerly known as Dallas Baptist College , is a Christian liberal arts university in Dallas , Texas . Founded in 1898 as Decatur Baptist College , Dallas Baptist University currently operates campuses in Dallas , Plano , and Hurst .
The Dallas Baptist Patriots baseball team represents Dallas Baptist University , which is located in Dallas , Texas . The Patriots are a NCAA Division I college baseball program that competes in the Missouri Valley Conference . They began competing in Division I in 2004 and joined the Missouri Valley Conference in 2014 after only one season with the Western Athletic Conference . They are the only Dallas Baptist program in Division I and the Missouri Valley Conference . All other Dallas Baptist programs compete in Division II 's Lone Star Conference . The Dallas Baptist Patriots play all home games on campus at Joan and Andy Horner Ballpark . Under the direction of Head Coach Dan Heefner , the Patriots have played in nine NCAA Tournaments and hosted their first regional in 2015 . Over their six seasons in the Missouri Valley Conference , they have won two MVC regular season titles and three MVC tournaments . Since the program 's inception in 1970 , 18 Patriots have gone on to play in Major League Baseball , highlighted by 3-time All-Stars Freddy Sanchez and Ben Zobrist . Under current head coach Dan Heefner , 52 Patriots have been drafted , including Vic Black who was selected in the first round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft .
The Heartland Conference was a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) 's Division II level , which was founded in 1999 . The majority of members were in Texas , with additional members in Arkansas , Kansas , and Oklahoma . The conference office was located in Waco , Texas .
NCAA Division II ( D-II ) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) . It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment offered in Division III . Before 1973 , the NCAA 's smaller schools were grouped together in the College Division . In 1973 , the College Division split in two when the NCAA began using numeric designations for its competitions . The College Division members who wanted to offer athletic scholarships or compete against those who did became Division II , while those who chose not to offer athletic scholarships became Division III . Nationally , ESPN televises the championship game in football , CBS televises the men 's basketball championship , and ESPN2 televises the women 's basketball championship . CBS Sports Network broadcasts six football games on Thursdays during the regular season , and one men 's basketball game per week on Saturdays during that sport 's regular season . The official slogan of NCAA Division II , implemented in 2015 , is Make It Yours .
In American college sports , NCAA Division I independent schools are four-year institutions that do not belong to a conference for a particular sport .
Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel , a financier and philanthropist . Founded as Drexel Institute of Art , Science , and Industry , it was renamed Drexel Institute of Technology in 1936 , before assuming the name Drexel University in 1970 . As of 2015 [ update ] , more than 26,000 students were enrolled in over 70 undergraduate programs and more than 100 master 's , doctoral , and professional programs at the university . Drexel 's cooperative education program ( co-op ) is a prominent aspect of the school 's degree programs , offering students the opportunity to gain up to 18 months of paid , full-time work experience in a field relevant to their undergraduate major or graduate degree program prior to graduation .
The Drexel Dragons are the athletic teams of Drexel University . The school 's athletic program includes eighteen NCAA Division I sports including nine men 's and nine women 's teams , with most sports teams competing in the Colonial Athletic Association ( CAA ) . Drexel 's athletic department was ranked first in gender equity by U.S. News . The university has demonstrated a high level of student-athlete academic performance , with a 10-year NCAA graduation rate of 91% compared to a national average of 85% .
The Colonial Athletic Association ( CAA ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA 's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to South Carolina . Most of its members are public universities , and the conference is headquartered in Richmond . The CAA was historically a Southern conference until the addition of four schools in the Northeast ( of five that joined from rival conference America East ) after the turn of the 21st century , which added balance to the conference . The CAA was founded in 1979 as the ECAC South basketball league . It was renamed the Colonial Athletic Association in 1985 when it added championships in other sports ( although a number of members maintain ECAC affiliation in some sports ) . As of 2006 , it organizes championships in 21 men 's and women 's sports . The addition of Northeastern University in 2005 gave the conference the NCAA minimum of six football programs needed to sponsor football . For the 2007 football season , all of the Atlantic 10 Conference 's football programs joined the CAA football conference , as agreed in May 2005 .
The Drexel Dragons are the athletic teams of Drexel University . The school 's athletic program includes eighteen NCAA Division I sports including nine men 's and nine women 's teams , with most sports teams competing in the Colonial Athletic Association ( CAA ) . Drexel 's athletic department was ranked first in gender equity by U.S. News . The university has demonstrated a high level of student-athlete academic performance , with a 10-year NCAA graduation rate of 91% compared to a national average of 85% .
Elon University is a private university in Elon , North Carolina . Founded in 1889 as Elon College , Elon is organized into six schools , most of which offer bachelor 's degrees and several of which offer master 's degrees or professional doctorate degrees . Located in North Carolina 's Piedmont region , Elon is situated on a 656-acre suburban campus between the cities of Greensboro and Raleigh . Fewer than twenty percent of Elon 's undergraduates are native to the state of North Carolina . Elon 's intercollegiate athletic teams compete in NCAA Division I athletics as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association .
The Elon Phoenix is the name given to several sports teams of Elon University , located in Elon , North Carolina . The university is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association and competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision , fielding 17 varsity teams in 11 sports . All of Elon 's varsity teams currently compete in sports sponsored by the CAA . Elon moved to the Colonial Athletic Association on July 1 , 2014 .
The Southern Conference ( SoCon ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Division I . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision ( formerly known as Division I-AA ) . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama , Georgia , North Carolina , South Carolina , Tennessee , and Virginia . Established in 1921 , the Southern Conference ranks as the fifth-oldest major college athletic conference in the United States , and either the third- or fourth-oldest in continuous operation , depending on definitions . Among conferences currently in operation , the Big Ten ( 1896 ) and Missouri Valley ( 1907 ) are indisputably older . The Pac-12 Conference did not operate under its current charter until 1959 , but claims the history of the Pacific Coast Conference , founded in 1915 , as its own . The Southwest Conference ( SWC ) was founded in 1914 , but ceased operation in 1996 . The Big Eight Conference claimed the same history as the Missouri Valley from 1907 to 1928 during its existence ; though it essentially merged with four SWC members to form the Big 12 Conference in 1996 , the Big 12 does not claim the Big Eight 's legacy . The Ivy League was formally organized in 1954 with athletic competition starting in 1955 , but claims the history of the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League , which competed from 1901 to 1955 , as its own . The SoCon was the first conference to use the three-point field goal in basketball in a November 29 , 1980 game at Western Carolina against Middle Tennessee State University ( MTSU ) , where Ronnie Carr shot the historic shot from 22 feet ( 6.7 m ) away and the Catamounts won 77-70 . The Southern Conference is considered one of the stronger football conferences in the Football Championship Subdivision and is considered a mid-major conference in basketball . It has also garnered considerable national attention from its recent success in these sports : in particular , former member , three-time Division I NCAA Football champion Appalachian State Mountaineers , who stunned the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines 34-32 on September 1 , 2007 ; from the Davidson Wildcats , who reached the Elite Eight in the 2008 NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Tournament by upsetting power programs Gonzaga ( a mid-major school which became a power program in the 2000s ) , Georgetown , and Wisconsin .
Fairfield University is a private Jesuit university in Fairfield , Connecticut . It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1942 , and today is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities . As of 2017 [ update ] , the university had about 4,100 full-time undergraduate students and 1,100 graduate students , including full-time and part-time . The school offers bachelor 's degrees , master 's degrees , and doctoral degrees through its five schools and colleges : the Fairfield University College of Arts and Sciences , the Charles F. Dolan School of Business , the School of Engineering , the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies , and the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions .
The Fairfield Stags are the athletic programs representing Fairfield University in Fairfield , Connecticut . Most of the programs are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference ( MAAC ) and classified as Division I-AAA in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) . The men 's and women 's golf programs are both ranked among the best in the nation for academics , according to Golf Digest .
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference ( MAAC , /mæk/ ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated in NCAA Division I , consisting of eleven schools coming from three states of the northeastern United States : Connecticut , New Jersey , and New York . The members are all relatively small private institutions , many of them Catholic or formerly Catholic , the only exceptions being three private but secular institutions : Rider University and the conference 's two newest members , Monmouth and Quinnipiac Universities . The conference headquarters is located in Edison , New Jersey . The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference sponsors 22 sports and has many associate member institutions . Richard J. Ensor is the commissioner of the MAAC , a post he has held since 1988 .
Iona College is a private Catholic college in New Rochelle , New York . It was founded in 1940 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers and occupies a campus of 45 acres ( 0.18 km2 ) . Iona College offers more than 60 undergraduate programs and 45 graduate programs in the School of Arts & Science and the LaPenta School of Business . An honors program , with special courses , seminars , mentoring , advising , and off-campus opportunities , is available to top students . The college also offers graduate courses in Manhattan and has 14 study abroad programs . As of academic year 2018-19 , the institution enrolls approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds representing 35 states and 47 countries of origin .
The Iona Gaels are the athletics teams of Iona College , in New Rochelle , New York . They compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference ( MAAC ) and participate in 21 NCAA Division I programs . Other members of the MAAC include Canisius College , Fairfield University , Manhattan College , Marist College , Monmouth University , Niagara University , Quinnipiac University , Rider University , Saint Peter 's University , and Siena College .
Jacksonville State University ( JSU ) is a public university in Jacksonville , Alabama . Founded in 1883 , Jacksonville State offers programs of study in five academic units leading to bachelor 's , master 's , education specialist , and doctorate degrees in addition to continuing and distance education programs . In the Fall semester of 2011 , JSU began offering the school 's first doctoral degree , Doctor of Science in Emergency Management . The university was founded as Jacksonville State Normal School , and in 1930 the name changed to Jacksonville State Teachers College , and again in 1957 to Jacksonville State College . The university began operating as Jacksonville State University in 1966 . JSU currently has an enrollment of about 8,500 students , with nearly 500 faculty members ( more than 320 of whom are full-time ) . Jacksonville State 's Business School was ranked within the nation 's 90th percentile by the Princeton Review . It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools ( SACS ) . In addition , 40 academic programs ( 79% of programs that can be accredited ) earned specialized programmatic accreditations . These programs include business , education , applied engineering , nursing , social work , drama , art , music , computer science , family and consumer science , and communication .
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Jacksonville State University ( JSU ) located in Jacksonville , Alabama , United States . The Gamecocks athletic program is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference ( OVC ) and competes at the NCAA Division I level including the Football Championship Subdivision . The JSU mascot is Cocky the Gamecock , and the school colors are red and white . Gamecock teams have won six NCAA national championships in four sports , and , along with Wisconsin-Whitewater , is one of only two schools to win titles in baseball , basketball , and football .
The Atlantic Sun Conference , branded as the ASUN Conference , is a collegiate athletic conference operating mostly in the Southeastern United States . The league participates at the NCAA Division I level , and does not sponsor football . Originally established as the Trans America Athletic Conference ( TAAC ) in 1978 , its headquarters are located in Macon , Georgia . The conference has seen several changes in its membership in recent years . First , the 2014 departure of East Tennessee State University and Mercer University to the Southern Conference left the ASUN with eight members . Northern Kentucky University ( transitioning from NCAA Division II sports to Division I ) left the conference to join the Horizon League and was replaced by the New Jersey Institute of Technology ( NJIT ) , previously the only Division I basketball independent , in 2015 . The ASUN membership expanded to nine members in 2018 . The University of South Carolina Upstate ( USC Upstate ) left the ASUN to join the Big South Conference after the 2017-18 season , but two new schools joined . The University of North Alabama arrived from the Division II Gulf South Conference , and Liberty University left the Big South for the ASUN . The ASUN 's next change of membership will occur in 2020-21 with the arrival of Bellarmine University from the Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference .
The Ohio Valley Conference ( OVC ) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States . It participates in Division I of the NCAA ; the conference 's football programs compete in the Football Championship Subdivision ( FCS ; formerly known as Division I-AA ) , the lower of two levels of Division I football competition . The OVC has 12 members , 9 of which compete in football in the conference .
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks Football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Jacksonville State University located in the U.S. state of Alabama . The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision ( FCS ) and are members of the Ohio Valley Conference . Jacksonville State 's first football team was fielded in 1904 . The team plays its home games at the 24,000 seat Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium in Jacksonville , Alabama . The Gamecocks are coached by John Grass .
The Southland Conference , abbreviated to SLC , is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States ( specifically Texas , Louisiana , and Arkansas ) . It participates in the NCAA 's Division I for all sports ; for football , it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision ( FCS ) . The Southland sponsors 18 sports , 10 for women and eight for men , and is governed by a presidential Board of Directors and an Advisory Council of athletic and academic administrators . Tom Burnett was named the Southland 's sixth commissioner on Dec. 23 , 2002 . From 1996 to 2002 , for football only , the Southland Conference was known as the Southland Football League . The conference 's offices are located in the Dallas suburb of Frisco , Texas .
The Great America Rifle Conference ( GARC ) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) rifle-only conference . The GARC was established for schools that sponsor rifle teams , but do not have rifle sponsored in their respective conferences .
Lipscomb University is a private Christian liberal arts university in Nashville , Tennessee . It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ . The campus is located in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville , between Belmont Boulevard to the west and Granny White Pike on the east . Student enrollment for the fall 2016 semester was 4,632 , which included 2,986 undergraduate students and 1,646 graduate students . It also maintains two satellite locations called Spark , in the Cool Springs area of Franklin , Tennessee and in Downtown Nashville to serve the business community .
The Lipscomb Bisons are the fifteen sports teams representing Lipscomb University in Nashville , Tennessee in intercollegiate athletics . The Bisons compete in the NCAA Division I and are members of the Atlantic Sun Conference .
Morris Brown College ( MBC ) is an unaccredited , private , Christian , and historically black liberal arts college in Atlanta , Georgia . It is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church . In 2002 it lost its accreditation and federal funding due to a financial mismanagement scandal during the 1998-2002 tenure of Dolores Cross as college president . The United Negro College Fund also terminated its support for the college . Ten years later , the college filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in an attempt to prevent foreclosure and sale of the school at auction . It had settled its debt to the Department of Education . In 2019 , the college announced a renewed strategy to secure accreditation again .
Morris Brown College ( MBC ) is an unaccredited , private , Christian , and historically black liberal arts college in Atlanta , Georgia . It is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church . In 2002 it lost its accreditation and federal funding due to a financial mismanagement scandal during the 1998-2002 tenure of Dolores Cross as college president . The United Negro College Fund also terminated its support for the college . Ten years later , the college filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in an attempt to prevent foreclosure and sale of the school at auction . It had settled its debt to the Department of Education . In 2019 , the college announced a renewed strategy to secure accreditation again .
The University of Northern Colorado ( UNC ) is a public research university in Greeley , Colorado . The university was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education . Approximately 12,000 students are enrolled in six colleges . Extended campus locations in are in Loveland , Denver , and Colorado Springs . UNCs 19 athletic teams compete in NCAA Division I athletics .
The Northern Colorado Bears are the athletic teams representing the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley , Colorado in intercollegiate athletics . The university sponsors seventeen teams including men and women 's basketball , cross country , golf , tennis , and track and field ; women's-only soccer , softball , swimming and diving , and volleyball ; and men's-only baseball , football , and wrestling . The Bears compete in NCAA Division I , with the football team competing at the FCS level , and most teams are members of the Big Sky Conference . Three Northern Colorado teams have separate affiliations in sports that the Big Sky does not sponsor . The baseball and the women 's swimming and diving teams are affiliate members of the Western Athletic Conference , and the wrestling team is a member of the Big 12 Conference .
The North Central Conference ( NCC ) , also known as North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference , was a college athletic conference which operated in the north central United States . It participated in the NCAA 's Division II .
Samford University is a private Christian university in Homewood , Alabama . In 1841 , the university was founded as Howard College . Samford University is the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United States . The university enrolls 5,692 students from 46 states and 28 countries .
The Samford Bulldogs are the 17 varsity teams ( 8 men 's and 9 women 's ) that represent Samford University in NCAA Division I athletics . The Men 's basketball team made its first NCAA appearance in the 1999 and 2000 NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Tournament . The women 's basketball team made its initial NCAA tournament appearance in the 2011 NCAA Women 's Division I Basketball Tournament and made its second consecutive appearance in the tournament in 2012 . The baseball team made its first NCAA tournament appearance in the 2012 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament , reaching the finals of the Tallahassee Regional . Additionally , the softball team made its first NCAA Tournament Appearance in 2016 . For the first time in history , the lady bulldogs won the Regular Season Championship as well as the Tournament Championship to cap off a record high of 40 wins on the season . The school is a member of the Southern Conference in Division I of the NCAA ( FCS in football ) , after moving from the Ohio Valley Conference in 2008 . The Samford Athletics staff is headed by athletic director Martin Newton , whose appointment was announced on March 9 , 2011 .
The Samford Bulldogs football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Samford University located in the U.S. state of Alabama . The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision ( FCS ) and are members of the Southern Conference . Samford 's first football team was fielded in 1902 . The team plays its home games at the 6,700 seat Seibert Stadium in Homewood , Alabama . The Bulldogs are coached by Chris Hatcher .
NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision independent schools are four-year institutions in the United States whose football programs are not part of a football conference . This means that FCS independents are not required to schedule each other for competition as conference schools do . As of the next college football season of 2020 , three schools will play as FCS independents . Presbyterian will spend only the 2020 season as an independent . It began a transition to non-scholarship FCS football in 2017 and will play the final season of that transition as an FCS independent before joining the Pioneer Football League in 2021 . ( Presbyterian will remain a full but non-football Big South member . ) Also in 2020 , Dixie State and Tarleton State will move up from Division II , with both joining the non-football Western Athletic Conference . Both schools have announced they will play as FCS independents for the foreseeable future . The only school that had played as an FCS independent in the most recently completed 2019 season , North Dakota , will join the Missouri Valley Football Conference in July 2020 . The Fighting Hawks left the Big Sky Conference for the non-football Summit League in July 2018 , but agreed to honor existing contracts to play Big Sky members in football , and thus played a full Big Sky football schedule in both 2018 and 2019 .
St. John 's University is a private Roman Catholic university in New York City . Founded and run by the Congregation of the Mission ( C.M. , the Vincentian Fathers ) in 1870 , the school was originally located in the neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant in the borough of Brooklyn . In the 1950s , the school was relocated to its current site at Utopia Parkway in Hillcrest , Queens . St. John 's also has campuses in Staten Island and Manhattan in New York City and overseas in Rome , Italy . In addition , the university has a Long Island Graduate Center in Hauppauge , along with academic locations in Paris , France , and Limerick , Ireland . The university is named after Saint John the Baptist . St. John 's is organized into five undergraduate schools and six graduate schools . In 2016 , the university had 16,440 undergraduate and 4,647 graduate students . St. John 's offers more than 100 bachelor , master , and doctoral degree programs as well as professional certificates .
The St. John 's Red Storm is the nickname used for the 16 varsity athletic programs of St. John 's University , in the U.S. state of New York . St. John 's 16 NCAA Division I teams compete in the Big East Conference , with the exception of the fencing team , which compete in the ECAC . On December 15 , 2012 , St. John 's and the other six Catholic , non-FBS schools ( the so-called Catholic 7 ) announced that they were departing the former Big East for a new conference . The Catholic 7 , after purchasing the Big East name from the FBS schools and adding Butler , Creighton , and Xavier , began operating as the new Big East Conference beginning in July 2013 . The athletic program fields sixteen intercollegiate teams : basketball , soccer , baseball , lacrosse , tennis , golf , and fencing for men and basketball , soccer , softball , volleyball , tennis , track and field , cross country , golf , and fencing for women . In 2002 , the university eliminated five men 's athletic teams and one women 's team in order to comply with Title IX rules prohibiting activities that receive federal assistance from discriminating on the basis of gender . Prior to the 1994-95 school year , the university 's nickname was the St. John 's Redmen , which referenced the red uniforms worn by its teams in competition . The name was interpreted as a Native American reference in the 1960s , and the university did have a mascot ( adorned in Native American dress ) , which eventually led to the team 's name change to the Red Storm . The change happened at a time when there was mounting pressure on colleges and universities to adopt names more sensitive to Native American culture . The Redmen name still remains popular among fans , however , as does Johnnies . On September 18 , 2009 the new mascot , which was voted on by students , was revealed ; Johnny Thunderbird .
The University of South Florida ( USF ) is a public research university in Tampa , Florida . It is a member institution of the State University System of Florida . Founded in 1956 , USF is the fourth-largest public university in the state of Florida , with an enrollment of 50,755 as of the 2018-2019 academic year . The USF system has three institutions : USF Tampa , USF St. Petersburg and USF Sarasota-Manatee . Each institution is separately accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools . The university is home to 14 colleges , offering more than 80 undergraduate majors and more than 130 graduate , specialist , and doctoral-level degree programs . USF is classified among R1 : Doctoral Universities - Very high research activity . In its 2011 ranking , the Intellectual Property Owners Association placed USF 10th among all universities worldwide in the number of US patents granted . The university has an annual budget of $ 1.5 billion and an annual economic impact of over $ 3.7 billion . In a ranking compiled by the National Science Foundation , USF ranks 43rd in the United States for total research spending among all universities , public and private .
The South Florida Bulls ( also known as USF Bulls ) are the athletic teams that represent the University of South Florida . The university competes in NCAA Division I of the NCAA , and as a member of the American Athletic Conference ( The American ) . The university currently sponsors varsity sports : baseball , men 's and women 's basketball , men 's and women 's golf , football , men 's and women 's soccer , softball , men 's and women 's tennis , men 's and women 's cross country , men 's and women 's track , volleyball , sailing .
National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Football Bowl Subdivision independent schools are four-year institutions whose football programs are not part of an NCAA-affiliated conference . This means that FBS independents are not required to schedule each other for competition like conference schools do . There are fewer independent schools than in years past ; many independent schools join , or attempt to join , established conferences . The main reasons to join a conference are to gain a share of television revenue and access to bowl games that agree to take teams from certain conferences , and to help deal with otherwise potentially difficult challenges in scheduling opponents to play throughout the season . All Division I FBS independents are eligible for the College Football Playoff ( CFP ) , or for the so-called access bowls associated with the CFP , if they are chosen by the CFP selection committee . Notre Dame has a potential tie-in with the Orange Bowl . Army has an agreement with the Military Bowl ( formerly the EagleBank Bowl ) , and Notre Dame , in addition to its CFP agreement , has other bowl agreements as part of its affiliation with the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) . ( Notre Dame had similar agreements with its previous conference , the Big East . ) BYU had an agreement with the Armed Forces Bowl for 2011 . The ranks of football independents increased by one starting with the 2011 season with the announcement that BYU would leave the Mountain West Conference ( MWC ) to become a football independent starting with that season . The ranks increased by two in 2013 when the Western Athletic Conference ( WAC ) dropped football and New Mexico State and Idaho did not have a conference for football . The ranks of football independents decreased by two in 2014 with the return of Idaho and New Mexico State as football-only members of the Sun Belt Conference ( SBC ) and decreased by one more in 2015 with Navy joining the American Athletic Conference ( AAC ) as a football-only member .
Conference USA ( C-USA or CUSA ) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States . The conference participates in the NCAA 's Division I in all sports . C-USA 's offices are located in Dallas , Texas .
The University of Maryland , Baltimore County ( often referred to as UMBC ) is a public research university in Baltimore County , Maryland . It has a fall 2018 enrollment of 13,767 students , 48 undergraduate majors , over 60 graduate programs ( 36 master , 24 doctoral , and 17 graduate certificate programs ) and the first university research park in Maryland . Established as a part of the University of Maryland System in 1966 , the university became the first public college or university in Maryland to be inclusive of all races . UMBC has the fourth highest enrollment of the University System of Maryland , specializing in natural sciences and engineering , as well as programs in the liberal arts and social sciences . Athletically , the UMBC Retrievers have 17 NCAA Division I teams that participate in the America East Conference .
The UMBC Retrievers represent the University of Maryland , Baltimore County in NCAA Division I athletics . A member of the America East Conference ( AmEast ) , UMBC sponsors teams in eight men 's and nine women 's NCAA sanctioned sports . On March 16 , 2018 , the Retrievers men 's basketball team defeated the # 1 ranked Virginia Cavaliers in the NCAA mens basketball tournament . The result marked the first time a 16-seed had ever defeated a 1-seed in the tournament out of 135 previous match-ups .
The Northeast Conference ( NEC ) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) . Teams in the NEC compete in Division I for all sports except football , which competes in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision ( FCS ) , formerly Division I-AA . Participating schools are located principally in the Northeastern United States . The conference was named the ECAC Metro Conference when it was established in 1981 . The original eleven member schools were Fairleigh Dickinson University , the Brooklyn campus of Long Island University ( whose athletic program has now merged with that of LIU 's Post campus into a single athletic program ) , Loyola College in Maryland ( left in 1989 ) , Marist College ( left in 1997 ) , Robert Morris University , St. Francis College ( NY ) , Saint Francis College ( PA ) , Siena College ( left in 1984 ) , Towson State University ( left in 1982 ) , the University of Baltimore ( left in 1983 ) and Wagner College . The conference 's name was changed to its present form on August 1 , 1988 . Other names considered were Big North , Great North , North Shore , Northern , Northeastern , Eastern and Eastern Private Intercollegiate . The Northeast Conference has expanded eight times since 1981 . The expansions and additions from the original charter members were in 1985 ( Monmouth University , which left in 2013 ) , 1989 ( Mount St. Mary 's University ) , 1992 ( Rider University , which left in 1997 ) , 1997 ( Central Connecticut State University ) , 1998 ( Quinnipiac University and the University of Maryland , Baltimore County which respectively left in 2013 and 2003 ) , 1999 ( Sacred Heart University ) , 2008 ( Bryant University ) , and 2019 ( Merrimack College ) . The Northeast Conference 's rank was largest at 12 in 2008 with the addition of Bryant University ; it dropped to 10 in 2013 with the departure of Monmouth and Quinnipiac for the MAAC , and returned to 11 with the 2019 addition of Merrimack . The most recent changes were announced in 2018 and took effect with the 2019-20 school year . First , on September 10 , the NEC announced it would add Merrimack .
The America East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA Division I , whose members are located mainly in the Northeastern United States , specifically New England . Its nine members include the public flagship universities of three states , and one private university .