Specific areas the study will cover are academic and financial integrity, rules compliance, as well as a commitment to equity.
Academic accreditation is common in colleges and universities.
This program is the first to focus solely on certification of athletics programs. Following a pilot project, the NCAA Division I membership overwhelmingly supported the program and its standards at the 1993 annual Convention. Penn State was one of the participants in the pilot NCAA athletics certification process four years ago. The certification program's purpose is to ensure integrity in the institution's athletics operations. The university also will examine how the activities of the athletics program relate to the mission and purpose of the institution.