NCAA Division I School Drops Entire Athletics Program

Division I Saint Francis College in Brooklyn, New York announced they are dropping their entire athletics program at the end of the 2022-2023 academic year.

In addition, they announced the Chief Operating Officer, Tim Cecere, will become the Acting President, effective immediately. The Board of Trustees granted Dr. Miguel Martinez-Saenz, the former president, his request for personal leave.

A letter posted on the college’s website from the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Denis J. Salamone, detailed the significant changes the entire college will begin to undergo as a result of demographic and financial shifts. “There are challenges facing higher education institutions, particularly smaller liberal arts colleges in the Northeast, from which SFC is not immune. Among these challenges are increased operating expenses, flattening revenue streams, and plateauing enrollment due in part to a shrinking pool of high school graduates in the aftermath of the pandemic,” he wrote.

Saint Francis participates in the Northeast Conference (NEC), whose champion in men’s basketball this year was Fairleigh-Dickinson University. Ironically, the Terriers very last basketball game was against the Knights, who subsequently pulled a stunning upset in the 2023 tournament by beating top-ranked Purdue University 63-58.

Director of Athletics Irma Garcia posted on Twitter, saying: “I come to you today to share the news of a decision I never anticipated during my time at St. Francis Brooklyn. I am heartbroken that a decision has been made to eliminate the college’s athletics program, effective at the conclusion of the Spring 2023 semester. My heart hurts for our student-athletes, coaches and staff.”

SFC was an original member of the NEC beginning in 1981-82. The school currently sponsors 12 varsity programs.

NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris posted a statement on the conference’s website.

“Coming off a week that has served as a rallying cry for the entire Northeast Conference, today is a bittersweet day. As a charter member of the NEC, St. Francis College is tightly woven into the very fabric of this conference. The relationships we’ve built and memories we’ve created with the Terrier family over the last 42 years are priceless. It saddens us to lose them as an integral member of the NEC community. Whenever the conference has experienced membership changes, others have risen to the challenge, and this time will be no different. Over the last week, the NEC elevated its profile on the national stage. We look forward to using this moment as a springboard to strengthen the long-term growth of the conference. That being said, the NEC Council of Presidents remain actively involved in membership expansion discussions with a focus on attracting institutions that support the NEC’s strategic goals, and position the league in terms of strength and stability.”

The trustees letter assures Terrier athletes they will “continue their studies at SFC uninterrupted, the College will honor all current academic and athletic scholarships, even though students will no longer be participating in athletics.” However, it stated that all staff members in the athletics department will have their employment ended at the end of the academic year.

It appears the entire institution is undergoing a massive re-focusing effort, as noted in the press release. These include:

• Investment in new academic programs and revision of curriculum and pedagogy
• The expansion of the population whom the College serves, both locally and internationally
• The relocation of the College’s primary campus to a modern, state-of-the-art, custom-built facility at 179 Livingston Street

Emails sent to the campus have not been returned. The news leaves the NEC with 8 full members and numerous associate members.

While a number of Division I teams were dropped over the past several years, it is rare for a Division I athletics program to be discontinued in its entirety.