Katrina McCormack <kmccormi@fau.

edu> To: Katrina McCormack MEDIA RELEASE: FAU to Begin Conference USA Competition in Fall 2013

January 22, 2013 1:51 PM

MEDIA CONTACT: Katrina McCormack 561-297-3163, kmccormi@fau.edu

FAU to Begin Conference USA Competition in Fall 2013

BOCA RATON, Fla. (January 22, 2013) Florida Atlantic University will begin Conference USA competition in Fall 2013. FAU entered into a membership agreement with Conference USA (C-USA) on Nov. 29, 2012. Florida Atlantic University is excited to be joining Conference USA beginning in the 2013-14 season, said FAU President Mary Jane Saunders. Membership in Conference USA provides FAU with increased national exposure and a wide range of opportunities. The leagues television partnerships, large footprint and bowl tie-ins will expose our student-athletes to new experiences as they compete against schools across 10 states and in several of the top media markets in the country. Conference USA has a history of athletic success and FAU is honored to be associated with the great institutions that define the league. C-USAs existing media contracts include television partnerships with FOX Sports Media Group, CBS Sports Network and ESPN. The league is a member of footballs Bowl Championship Series, and all of FAUs 19 sports will be a member of one conference for the first time since 2001. We are thankful for President Saunders and her extraordinary leadership and vision throughout this process, said Patrick Chun, FAU Director of Athletics. This is a bold and decisive step for our entire athletic program. Conference USA will bring forth new challenges, opportunities and expectations. The platform offered by Conference USA and Commissioner Britton Banowsky mirror the upward trajectory of our great institution. We will continue to build our athletic program to represent Florida Atlantic University on the highest of levels. C-USA has consistently been ranked as one of the top mens basketball leagues in the country while its womens basketball teams have made 47 NCAA Tournament and 38 Womens National Invitation Tournament appearances. Six C-USA members have reached baseballs College World Series. Florida Atlantic University is a rising star, a dynamic and growing university in a wonderful place, said Banowsky. They are a great fit and we are so pleased to have them on board next season.

FAU has been affiliated with the Sun Belt Conference since 2005 after a period as a Division I-AA independent institution. As a member of the Sun Belt, FAUs student-athletes have garnered success on the field and off, securing seven conference championships. FAUs football team won the Sun Belt championship in 2007 and the leagues bowl tie-ins led to appearances and victories in the 2007 New Orleans Bowl and the 2008 Motor City Bowl. The mens golf, womens cross country and womens tennis teams recently received the NCAAs 2011-12 Public Recognition Award, an honor bestowed on teams with a Division I Academic Progress Rate in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective

sports. FAUs athletic department includes nearly 450 student-athletes competing in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and volleyball. Cheer and dance are also part of the department and represent the University within the community and at national competitions and camps.

- FAU Florida Atlantic University Athletics: FAU Athletics is comprised of 19 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track, and volleyball. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in the Sun Belt Conference in all but mens soccer, which participates in the Mid America Conference. The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and have captured two bowl games. Cheer and dance are also part of the athletic department family and represent the University annually in competition and within the community. About Florida Atlantic University: Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAUs world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of three signature themes marine and coastal issues, biotechnology and contemporary societal challenges which provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAUs existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.