William Peace University President Debra M. Townsley, Ph.D., To Serve On NCAA Working Group

RALEIGH, NC, September 21, 2012 (Press-News.org) William Peace University (http://www.peace.edu), a private four-year university located in downtown Raleigh, has announced that President Debra M. Townsley, Ph.D., has been named to serve on the NCAA Division III Recruiting Working Group. The 13-person panel will evaluate alternative recruiting models for participating Division III colleges in the context of work-life balance and competitive equity, with the primary areas of discussion for potential legislative changes involving recruiting calendars and limitations on recruiting at nonscholastic events. Members of the NCAA Division III Recruiting Working Group will consider and recommend concepts regarding these issues throughout the latter half of 2012 and present them for a larger membership discussion at the 2013 NCAA Convention Issues Forum. Any potential legislative changes would be presented to the membership for a vote at the 2014 Convention.

Townsley was one of two college presidents selected for the group along with Barney Forsyth of Westminster College in Missouri. Additional members include:
- Desirai Tongco, National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) at Mills College in California;
- David Ellis, senior vice president and CFO of enrollment management at Becker College in Massachusetts;
- Fred Pfursich, vice president for enrollment at Whittier College in California;
- Luis Reis, head women's soccer coach at Wheaton College in Illinois;
- Marci Sanders, head women's volleyball coach at the University of Texas at Dallas;
- Jerry Boyes, director of athletics and head football coach at Buffalo State College in New York;
- Steve Fritz, director of athletics at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota;
- Mike Mattia, associate director of athletics/senior compliance administrator at John Hopkins University in Maryland;
- Karen Tessmer, associate director of athletics/senior woman administrator/head woman's basketball coach at Worcester State University in Massachusetts;
- Keri Luchowski, executive director/commissioner for the North Coast Athletic Conference;
- Terry Rupert, vice president of athletics administration/director of athletics/management council liaison at Wilmington College in Ohio; and
- Ellen Mayock, faculty athletic representative at Washington & Lee University in Virginia.

QUOTES:
"It is a distinct honor to be asked to serve on this group to determine the changes needed in recruitment policies for Division III colleges," said Townsley. "Today's learning institutions are facing increasing competition in recruitment that has led to concerns there might be abuses in the system that do not allow for fair and equal opportunities to meet with students about their college prospects. I understand the challenges our colleges face in this area, and as a member of the NCAA Division III Chancellors/Presidents Advisory Group, I pledge to keep an open mind and search for the best answers for everyone involved while working in consensus with my fellow group members."

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ABOUT WILLIAM PEACE UNIVERSITY:
William Peace University is located in the heart of Raleigh, North Carolina. It was founded in 1857 as Peace Institute, offering education for boys and girls in primary grades and to women from high school to college. Peace, an all women's college, became a four-year baccalaureate college and graduated its first bachelor's students in August of 1996. Exclusively an all-women's institution for its first 152 years, Peace began offering coeducational evening courses through the William Peace School of Professional Studies in 2009. In 2011, Peace College transitioned to William Peace University and welcomed its first coeducational class to its day program in fall 2012. Its mission is to prepare students for careers in the organizations of tomorrow. On average, more than 90 percent of the university's graduates are placed in jobs or graduate school within one year of graduation. For more information, please visit http://www.peace.edu.

Jennifer Fair
MMI Public Relations
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