Administration

Ethics and Compliance celebrates Commonwealth Campus athletics compliance

The Office of Ethics and Compliance helps to oversee athletics programs across Penn State's 19 Commonwealth Campuses, including the Penn State University Athletic Conference. Credit: Barbara Dennis / Penn StateCreative Commons

When people think about Penn State athletics, they think about 107,000 people in Beaver Stadium or a packed Rec Hall for a wrestling or women’s volleyball match. But while our Division I student-athletes get most of the attention, an even larger number of student-athletes represent Penn State through intercollegiate athletics at 19 Commonwealth Campuses.

The Office of Ethics and Compliance houses the director of Commonwealth Campus athletics and the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) commissioner and is where oversight of the individual programs is conducted. Each campus offering athletics functions as its own department, where they generally offer intercollegiate, club and recreational sports for their students. The campuses offer anywhere from six sports to more than 20, often focusing on sports that are popular with their students and fit with strengths in their region of the state.

In addition to general compliance functions, the Commonwealth Campus Athletics department operates its own intercollegiate athletics conference, the PSUAC, made up of 14 Penn State campuses. The conference office leads the Council of Athletic Directors, ensures student-athletes satisfy Faculty Senate eligibility requirements, and runs a total of 10 championship events. The PSUAC and each of its members are also part of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, a national governing body for small college athletics that hosts National Championships. PSUAC members will host a total of seven USCAA National Championships in their local communities in 2019-20.

The additional five Commonwealth Campuses are NCAA Division III members, competing in two regional conferences. These campuses, including Abington, Altoona, Berks, Erie and Harrisburg, generally offer a larger complement of sports as part of their programs.

To learn more about the Office of Ethics & Compliance, please visit https://universityethics.psu.edu/

Corporate Compliance & Ethics Week began in May 2005 as a way to help members of SCCE & HCCA to increase awareness of compliance and ethics issues at their organizations. It has since grown to an annual event that is celebrated around the world. Find out more at https://www.corporatecompliance.org/about-scce/corporate-compliance-ethics-week

Submit your answer to the question below at https://pennstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0i8b3gETcBUXAEd. All correct responses received by 8 am on Nov. 8 will be entered into our daily prize drawing!

Approximately 800 student-athletes participate in the Division I athletic department. How many total student-athletes compete at our 19 Commonwealth Campuses?

 

Last Updated November 6, 2019