Feb. 23, 2009

MEAC PRESS RELEASE:

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., February 23, 2009 - Commissioner Dennis Thomas of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) has announced that the MEAC Council of Chief Executive Officers has ended the moratorium on membership expansion effective immediately.

The moratorium was implemented to provide the conference a planned approach for membership expansion. A strategic and long range plan was developed and approved by the Council.

Using the strategic and long range plan document as a guideline, MEAC expansion will focus on increasing the membership to fourteen members, resulting in twelve (12) football playing institutions.

The MEAC will immediately begin reviewing applications for membership. Currently the MEAC has received and are reviewing applications from North Carolina Central University (Durham) and Savannah (Ga.) State University.

For more information on the MEAC and its sponsored sports, log on to www.MEACsports.com

STATEMENT FROM NCCU DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS DR. INGRID WICKER-McCREE:

"We are extremely excited about the opportunity for the MEAC to review our application for membership. Getting into a conference will definitely enhance our sports programs, particularly in the areas of recruiting, increased revenues, consistent travel schedules and fan support. The MEAC is represented by institutions which hold in high esteem the academic success of its student-athletes and quality athletic competition, and we look forward to having this opportunity to become a part of its long-standing tradition of success as a NCAA Division I member conference."