May 2, 2012

Newport News, Va. - The Atlantic 10 Conference Council of Presidents has unanimously voted to formally accept Butler University's application for membership the league announced Wednesday.

Butler, a nationally recognized private comprehensive university with a premier athletics program, will join the A-10 on July 1, 2013. The Bulldogs field 17 of the A-10's 21 championship sports and will begin competition in those sports starting with the 2013-14 academic year.

"The Presidents of the A-10 member schools could not be more enthusiastic about adding Butler University to our conference," said Father Michael J. Graham, Xavier University President and Chair of the Atlantic 10 Council of Presidents. "Butler is a distinguished institution of higher education, it takes the academic success of its student athletes seriously, and its athletic programs have achieved notable success. In these ways and more, Butler University will enhance the values the A-10 presidents all strongly affirm. We are excited as well to be able to add Indianapolis to our conference footprint and look forward to beginning competition with Butler in 2013-14."

The addition of Butler is part of a five-year Strategic Initiative that the Atlantic 10 adopted in November of 2010. The first of five core principals in the initiative was conference membership. Within this core principle is the charge that the A-10 consider and evaluate membership applications based on institutional profiles in multiple areas, including academics, athletics and geography. Butler's profile in these primary areas meets the high standards set by all current A-10 member institutions.

"Welcoming Butler University as the newest member of the Atlantic 10 Conference is an honor and privilege. Institutionally, they are a perfect fit for the league and bring a tradition of excellence in academics, athletics, integrity and personnel," stated A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. "As a conference driven by national prominence in men's basketball, Butler further strengthens our league. Complementing their success in men's basketball is a broad-based sports program that will compete well in the A-10."

The Atlantic 10 adds a historically successful men's basketball program in Butler to what is already the best basketball-driven conference in Division I. The only non big six conference to have 41 at-large NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament selections in the past 20 years, including three in 2012, the A-10 has boasted 62 postseason appearances in the last decade. For the fifth year in a row, the Atlantic 10 Conference earned at least three bids and multiple at-large bids into the NCAA Tournament. Over the last six years, the Atlantic 10 has had 12 at-large selections - the seventh most among all other Division I conferences. A record eight A-10 institutions received invitations to the 2012 NCAA and NIT postseason tournaments, more than all but two conferences.