The University of St. Thomas made the leap to Division I status in 2021 as the first program in the history of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to transition directly from Division III to Division I. This groundbreaking development was covered in depth by The New York Times in a piece in the Athletic section that also highlights the leadership of psychology professor and basketball coach Johnny Tauer.
From the article:
For a university aiming at national visibility, it was intriguing. The only issue: No school had tried it. But when St. Thomas and the Summit League contacted the NCAA to determine if such a leap was even possible, they found amenability where the wall of red tape was expected to be. By October, St. Thomas accepted a Summit League invitation, with Douple labeling the school “the full package.” The following July, the NCAA granted a first-of-its-kind Division III-to-Division I transition waiver. The Tommies wouldn’t skip steps as much as take on a couple big ones at once.
Of course, when you say you want to be a Division I school, the NCAA expects you to act like one. St. Thomas, ever striving, obliged.
A full floor of university flex space was renovated into new offices for football and both basketball programs. A dance studio transformed into a fueling station for all athletes. An athletic department of 33 full-time staffers grew to more than 100. The problem of a hockey venue unsuitable for Division I? Benefactors Lee and Penny Anderson solved that with a $75 million lead gift, which spurred the construction of an on-campus arena that will be the new home for St. Thomas’ hockey and basketball programs and an operations hub for five other sports.
