Air Force Academy earns NCAA athletics certification Published March 14, 2011 U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo., -- The Air Force Academy is one of 26 Division I institutions to have met its requirements for athletics certification, officials said. A designation of certified means that an institution operates its athletics program in substantial conformity with operating principles adopted by the Division I membership. All 335 active Division I members participate in the athletics certification process. The purpose of athletics certification is to ensure integrity in the institution's athletics program and to assist institutions in improving their athletics departments. NCAA legislation mandating athletics certification was adopted in 1993. The certification process, which involves a self-study led by an institution's president or chancellor, includes a review of these primary components: governance and commitment to rules compliance; academic integrity; and gender/diversity issues and student-athlete well-being, officials said. Each member institution is to complete a self-study at least once every 10 years. The Division I Committee on Athletics Certification preliminarily reviews an institution's certification materials and provides a list of issues identified during the evaluation, officials said. The university then hosts a visit by peer reviewers who file a report regarding the institution's resolution of those issues before a final certification decision is rendered. An institution's failure to satisfactorily respond to the committee may negatively impact certification status. The certification process is separate from the NCAA's enforcement program, which investigates allegations of rules violations by NCAA member institutions, officials said. A decision of certified does not exempt an institution from concurrent or subsequent enforcement proceedings. The NCAA Committee on Infractions may ask the Committee on Athletics Certification to review an institution's certification status as a result of a completed infractions case. (Courtesy of the U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs)