Saint Anselm athletics photo

St. Anselm president Steven R. DiSalvo announced Tuesday that the school has applied to enter the exploratory phase of NCAA Division III membership for all athletic programs.

“We evaluated our academic, geographic, and athletic profile, along with our overall vision and strategic goals, and it became very clear that we were a better fit with the majority of Division III schools. If we are accepted, it will be an exciting opportunity for us to grow as an institution- recommitting to our mission and values, while promoting academic and athletic excellence,” says DiSalvo.

Division III is the largest category of competition that the NCAA offers, with more than 180,000 student-athletes at 450 colleges and universities, many with a focus on the liberal arts and on academic quality. In New England, these include Babson College, MIT, Wellesley College, Emerson College and Smith College, among others. These were schools cited in the college's initial release, all members of the NEWMAC.

St. Anselm is based in Manchester, N.H., and has 1,877 full-time undergraduates according to its most recent official filing with the U.S. Department of Education. Most notably, St. Anselm is one of a handful of Division II schools which offers hockey. Those schools play primarily Division III opponents and have no national championship for which to compete.

“Our athletes are expected to excel academically, as well as athletically, while exhibiting the highest level of sportsmanship, leadership, integrity and honor,” said interim athletic director Phil Rowe.

Rowe resigned from this position on Friday.

The college was recently ranked 13th in the nation for community service, and experiential learning is an integral part of the St. Anselm experience. Membership in Division III would provide increased access to these types of opportunities, otherwise unavailable to student-athletes with demanding year-round athletic schedules. Additionally, less travel time to competing institutions would mean less time out of class for student-athletes.

“This decision by our leadership holds true to our mission and vision. We embrace our role as educators to continue to provide our student-athletes the best experience possible moving forward,” said Rowe.