LOUISVILLE (August 26, 2020) – Bellarmine University will become a member of Division I and the ASUN during 2020-21 season. Collegiate Consulting completed working with Bellarmine University on its Division I Feasibility Study as well as its Division I Strategic Plan, both membership application requirements.
Since the institution’s announcement in June 2019 that it accepted the ASUN’s invitation the athletic department has taken significant steps in preparation for year one. Bellarmine has a five-year plan to fund transition costs of facility upgrades and operational expenses. This move to Division I and the ASUN fits the university’s strategic plan that includes priorities such as delivering a transformative student experience, becoming a model for academic innovation and expanding enrollment and academic reach. Bellarmine University will be the only private Division I school in Kentucky.
To help support its move to Division I, BU has set an aggressive goal to increase athletics-specific revenue thru guarantee games, enhanced ticket sales and fundraising. In addition, the University is currently formulating facility plans to improve the baseball and softball facilities; as well as upgrades to Knights Hall.
Bellarmine University is one of three Collegiate Consulting partner-institutions that is moving to Division I this year. In addition to Bellarmine University, Collegiate Consulting assisted Dixies State University and Tarleton State in their moves to the Western Athletic Conference.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Collegiate Consulting is a comprehensive solutions-based intercollegiate consulting firm focused on offering athletic departments, conferences and associations a single-entity resource across an extensive platform of services. In the past 12 months, Collegiate Consulting has completed six Division I feasibility studies.