The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference has established itself as one of the largest and most respected NCAA Division II athletic conferences. As it heads into its 50 th season of organized competition, the PSAC has laid claim to 30 NCAA team champions and 164 individual title winners, giving credence to its fine athletic tradition. The conference s prosperity on the national level was abundant again in 1999-2000, as 64 of the league s 227 teams participated in NCAA postseason competition.
Academic success is paramount for PSAC member institutions as well.
The PSAC was organized in 1951 for the purpose of promoting and administering men s athletic programs within the 14 state teachers colleges in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In 1977, due to the interest and growth of women s athletics, the conference was restructured to provide for women s programs. In 1983, all member institutions were granted university status as a result of Legislative Act 188 which formed Pennsylvania s State System of Higher Education. This system now enrolls in excess of 95,000 students. The alumni of the State System number more than 494,000, including 342,000 Pennsylvanians.