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, Western Washington University president Bruce Shepard tackles the question of whether Western should make the jump from NCAA Division II to Division I. Here's how he begins:

In recent days I have been fielding questions like, “Why isn’t Western D-I?” or “Does Western have plans to go D-I?” - by a well known sports writer, via twitter, and at events locally and in Seattle where I was speaking. Great questions and very understandable given the remarkable competitive success of our intercollegiate athletics program.

Today, we are enjoying the extraordinary record of success of the Women’s and the Men’s basketball teams, both making the Final Four. So, so proud of our student athletes. And, our basketball teams are not alone.

Our women’s rowing team has won seven of the last eight D-II national championships, a record in any division of the NCAA. This fall, we also took the conference championships in Soccer and Volleyball. Most every year, we take the GNAC all-sports trophy. Nationally, we regularly rank in the top 5% of the 300+ D-II programs in overall competitiveness. Even though not a D-II sport, our Hockey team just took a national championship, and other Western club sports like rugby and bicycle racing are known for their excellence.

I could go on, but there is an enormous amount to be proud of. Not least of all is the fact that our student athletes graduate at the same “best of class” rates that characterize Western students as a whole—and nearly 15% above the national average for NCAA II.

But, what about D-I for Western?

First point: it’s too bad the nomenclature is D-I, D-II, D-III. Suggests a hierarchy running from top to bottom (or from “best” to “worst”). Maybe divisions should have been designated something like: Red, White, and Blue because each division is different (different priorities, rule governing practice and such, scholarship support, etc…). Each can be best (or worst) depending upon an institution’s situation.

Still begs the question, though: is D-I best for ��������?

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