PacWest presidents gather at NDNU to chart future of conference

PacWest presidents gather at Notre Dame de Namur to chart future of the conference

BELMONT, Calif. - In the wake of one of the most successful years in conference history, presidents from each of the nine Pacific West Conference member institutions converged on Notre Dame de Namur University May 25-26 to chart the future of the league.

Discussions centered on scheduling, budgets and possible expansion as the PacWest explores its future. In just four years the conference has grown from four to nine schools.

“This was the year the PacWest became a nine-school conference - competing in 11 official sports - and significantly enhanced our reputation at the NCAA Division II level,” PacWest Commissioner Bob Hogue said.

In addition to the 15 different teams that qualified for the NCAA II post-season championships, the PacWest student-athletes kept conference grade point average at 3.00 for the third consecutive year.

The athletic and academic success added up to a remarkable campaign that continues this week with Hawai‘i Pacific University competing in the NCAA II College Softball World Series.

“This truly has been an historic year for the PacWest and so it is highly appropriate that this meeting was held at NDNU, an institution with a rich history and a campus graced by historic Ralston Hall,” Hogue said.

Notre Dame de Namur University is an independent Catholic, coeducational institution serving more than 1,600 students. Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame of Namur, Belgium in 1851 and chartered by the state in 1868, NDNU maintains a strong commitment to social justice and community engagement.

“We are delighted to host this meeting because the PacWest provides our students an opportunity to have a meaningful experience in athletics while emphasizing the values that we find especially important, such as scholar athletes, diversity and community engagement,” NDNU President Judith Maxwell Greig said.

The university is fully accredited and offers 21 liberal arts and career preparation undergraduate programs, and 12 graduate degrees and seven credentials. The 50-acre campus is located in Belmont, just south of San Francisco.

The PacWest is comprised of the Academy of Art University, Brigham Young University Hawaii, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Dixie State College of Utah, Dominican University of California, Grand Canyon University, the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Hawai‘i Pacific University and NDNU.

Representatives from each of the institutions attended the annual meeting, including President Bernard Ploeger of Chaminade, President Stephen Nadauld of Dixie State, President Joseph Fink of Dominican, President Chatt Wright of Hawai‘i Pacific, Vice President Hernan Bucheli of NDNU, Vice President Max Checketts of BYU-Hawaii, Chancellor Rose Tseng and Vice President Luoluo Hong of Hawai‘i Hilo, Vice President Joe Vollaro of Academy of Art, Vice President Stan Meyer of Grand Canyon and Athletic Director Keith Baker of Grand Canyon.