LEBANON, Tenn.--Cumberland University has established an Ad Hoc Committee to explore options for the future of Cumberland University Athletics.

Over the last few years, conference realignments have seen teams with long-time homes in their respective conferences make big changes and big changes are still to come from others. 

Just this past month, we have seen one of the most-well established conferences in the NCAA fall as the PAC-12 Conference lost NCAA superpowers University of Southern California and the University of California Los Angeles, which departed for the Big-10 Conference. This sent the rest of the remaining PAC-12 members searching for homes and all but three have since made moves for the future. This has left one of the most historic conferences depleted and searching for new schools. 

College Athletics is ever-changing with teams moving to find better suitors for travel, revenue, television rights, among numerous other reasons that can play an important role in the success of not only an Athletics Department, but the college campus as a whole. 

With that said, Cumberland University has established an Ad Hoc Committee to find out what is best for the likes of Cumberland University and our student-athletes. 

The committee will undergo extensive research on all options, whether that be staying right at home in the NAIA and the Mid-South Conference, or exploring what NCAA divisions have to offer. 

"There is no time-table for a decision on the future of Cumberland Athletics, but we are seeking what will be the greatest FIT for our student-athletes and our future student-athletes," Vice President of Athletics Ron Pavan said.

At this time, no feasibility studies have been initiated or conducted.

The NAIA has treated us graciously since we made the move from a junior college to a four-year institution in the 1980s. We have seen an increased success over the past several years with two-straight Top 25 finishes in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup, winning 17 NAIA National Championships, and 39 Mid-South Conference Championships since 2008. 

We want to provide our students with a world-class experience and education. With the help of the committee, we will determine what is best for the future of Cumberland as a whole.