GRAND FORKS - The Summit League will conduct a site visit at the University of North Dakota on Nov. 1-2, the league announced Monday.
The league will visit the campus to gather information regarding UND's application to join the conference.
UND's top priority since moving its athletic programs to the Division I level has been finding a stable conference. The Summit is a 10-member league that also includes North Dakota State and South Dakota State. South Dakota will also become a member in July of next year.
The league was expected to visit UND in late November but apparently moved up the visit in response to speculation that the Big Sky Conference also is interested in UND.
The Big Sky recently added UC Davis and Cal Poly as football-only members. The conference is considering adding another school, which would give the league 12 football members. It is also interested in UND for full membership.
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"There is strong support from our membership to visit UND," Summit commissioner Tom Douple said. "We look forward to meeting with university and athletic department personnel and obtaining as much information as possible to share with our membership."
Douple will be on the site visit as will Dr. Al Goldfarb, president of Western Illinois University and chair of the league's membership committee; Dr. Michael Benson, Southern Utah University president and chair of the league's President's Council; and other selected institutional members.
The site team will prepare a report to present before the Summit League's President's Council at a later date.
The Summit offers 19 sports. But it does not offer football.
The league consists of NDSU, SDSU, Centenary College of Louisiana, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis, Missouri-Kansas City, Oakland University of Michigan, Oral Roberts, Southern Utah and Western Illinois.
Wayne Nelson writes for the Grand Forks Herald,
which is owned by Forum Communications Co.
