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Tulane continued a yearlong review of its athletics program by releasing a draft of its self-study report this week. The NCAA requires such reviews every 10 years for certification.

The report is available on the Tulane NCAA recertification website.

The certification process, which began last summer, ensures that all Division I member institutions are meeting the standards adopted by the membership. Areas of assessment include academic integrity; gender, diversity and student-athlete well-being; and governance and rules compliance. It's a process that certification chair Dick Culbertson calls a “comprehensive examination” that now asks for public input at a town hall meeting next week.

“There has been active involvement from the athletics department and student-athletes,” says Culbertson, a professor of health systems management who also serves as chair of the University Senate Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics. “Now we're moving into the public-review phase and conducting the town hall meeting where we will be seeking broader campus and public input.”

The town hall meeting will be held Wednesday, April 13, at 4 p.m. in the Kendall Cram Lecture Hall of the Lavin-Bernick Center. Those interested will have an opportunity to read the report and comment.

Culbertson, who chaired the committee during the last certification, says three outcomes are possible: certification, certification with conditions or no certification. He says he is optimistic that the process will go well.

“I think we're in good shape,” Culbertson says. “We're confident in the merits of our case.”

The certification will culminate with a site visit and peer review by other NCAA member universities in November.