The NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification announced that it has certified the Saint Mary's College and 14 other colleges and universities as part of the NCAA's regularly scheduled, ongoing athletics certification process.

The "certified" designation means that Saint Mary's operates its athletics program in substantial conformity with operating principles adopted by the Division I membership of the NCAA. Certification is meant to ensure integrity in the institution's athletics program and to assist institutions in improving their athletics departments. The NCAA membership mandated athletics certification in 1993. Each of the NCAA's 335 Division I institutions undergoes the self-study every 10 years.

"I am delighted with the outcome of this process. I am very appreciative of the dedication and hard work of all the students, faculty, staff and community members that contributed to this study during the past 18 months," said SMC Director of Athletics Mark Orr. "This introspective process helped us assess what we do well, and identify areas we can improve upon. Receiving NCAA certification is a testament to the quality of the Gael athletic department and the College as a whole."

The certification process involves a thorough self-study led by an institution's president or chancellor. Saint Mary's began the self-study in May 2008, when President Brother Ronald Gallagher, appointed Michael Beseda, Vice Provost for Enrollment and Vice President for College Communications, to chair SMC's Certification Committee. Craig Johnson, a member of the faculty of the School of Liberal Arts and SMC's NCAA Faculty Representative, also helped guide the self-study, along with other College administrators, faculty and students.

The self-study included a review of several primary issues, including governance and commitment to rules compliance; academic integrity; equity; and student-athlete well-being. In May 2009 SMC submitted its initial report to the NCAA Certification Committee, which reviewed it and identified areas for clarification.

The Steering Committee for Saint Mary's College included; Michael Beseda, Dr. Craig Johnson, Scott Kier, Julia Odom, Mark Orr, Bill Sullivan, Marty Storti, Katie Smith, Stephanie Shrieve, Mark Chiarucci, Ken Vincent, Craig Means, Ed Tywoniak, Angelica Moore, Bill Lee, Collin Pugh, Megan Burton, Phil Benson, , Al Heeg, Ashley Dernback, Jeanne DeMatteo, Chris Jones, Russ Tiberri.

The members of the Committee on Athletics Certification for the NCAA are: Anthony Archbald, Princeton University; John Balog, Jacksonville University; Robert Bernardi, Nicholls State University; Ann Carr, Mississippi State University; Casey Comoroski, Missouri State University; Beatrice Crane Banford, Marshall University; Beth DeBauche, Ohio Valley Conference; Tom Douple, The Summit League; Amy Folan, University of Texas at Austin; Joanne Glasser, Bradley University; Nathan Hatch (chair), Wake Forest University; Brian Linnane, Loyola College (Maryland); Barbara Luebke, University of Rhode Island; M. Dianne Murphy, Columbia University-Barnard College; Sheila Patterson, Cleveland State University; Donald Pope-Davis, University of Notre Dame; Allison Rich, California State University, Fullerton; Judy Van Horn, University of Michigan; and Sarah Wilhelmi, West Coast Conference.