ROCKLIN, Calif. – Released today by the membership committee of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), Jessup University has been approved to enter year two of its transition as a member of NCAA Division II. The news confirms that Jessup University will begin NCAA competition at the start of the 2024-25 academic year.
 
"I am so proud of the Jessup Athletics teams and this confirmation from NCAA Division II," said President Dr. John Jackson. "Jessup continues to raise up transformational leaders with our culture and we believe this is yet another step in that journey."
 
Jessup University now begins its tenure as a member of NCAA Division II and the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) after a twenty-year run competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). During their time in the NAIA, Jessup were members of the California Pacific Conference (CalPac) from 2004 – 2014 and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) from 2014 – 2024.
 
The Warriors are joined by fellow GSAC and NAIA programs Menlo College and Vanguard University, who are entering year two of their NCAA transition. Westmont College will begin the third and final year of its transitionary process this year.
 
Commissioner of the PacWest Conference Jessica Harbison Weaver commented last week on the three universities joining the conference. "We are thrilled to add Jessup, Menlo, and Vanguard into the Pacific West Conference. Additionally, we salute Westmont for successfully moving into year two of the NCAA membership process. These schools are a great fit for our conference with a shared commitment to community, academics, and athletics excellence."
 
Jessup's Vice President of Athletics Lance Von Vogt echoed his sentiments back to the PacWest, noting, "I want to commend the PacWest, our commissioner Jessica Harbison Weaver, and her staff, for the extra attention they paid to all of the provisional schools, including us, in helping us prepare for what was to come with the NCAA transition."
 
The initial planning for Jessup's move to the NCAA began in Fall 2019 and came to fruition last July with the news that the Warriors' application had been accepted. Since then, Jessup has been working on updates to that application that display growth throughout the university, all of which were put on notice by the NCAA's announcement today.
 
Over the past 12 months, Jessup administrators have attended NCAA rules seminars, national conventions, and regular meetings held by the PacWest, while the athletic department has also undergone a full rebrand.
 
Key stakeholders around Jessup University partnered with the athletics team during this process, as multiple departments were brought together to accomplish this next step for the university.
 
Von Vogt expressed his gratitude to the Jessup community and their work in the process. "It really did take the entire Jessup campus community to put ourselves in this position to seamlessly move into provisional year two of the NCAA process. Each department across our campus made a commitment to the NCAA process, and as a whole, that led to this being successful."
 
"Fortunately, we have a collaborative campus where we work together and support one another, and that's what happened in this case," added Von Vogt."
 
Thursday's news was shared initially via a conference call. Members of the athletics administration team, along with university president Dr. John Jackson, were in attendance.
 
Jessup will join the Northern California pod of the PacWest when their DII season begins this fall. Joining Jessup in that pod are Menlo (Atherton), Academy of Art (San Francisco), and Dominican (San Rafael). Eleven other universities make up the PacWest across Southern California and Hawai'i.
 
"All of the schools from the PacWest have been welcoming and helpful in our bid to become an active member in the NCAA," added Von Vogt.
 
Fall schedules for Jessup University's first season in NCAA Division II and the PacWest Conference are available now at jessupathletics.com. The first PacWest contest in university history will be when women's volleyball visits Azusa Pacific University on September 21.
 
Jessup University is a provisional member of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division II and the PacWest Conference. For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Instagram & X).