INDIANAPOLIS — Long before the Great Midwest Athletic Conference crowned its first champion or established its footprint on the regional stage, its founding leaders were wrestling with a fundamental challenge: how do you build a brand-new NCAA Division II conference where elite athletic competition never compromises academic integrity?
When charter member institutions began constructing the framework of the G-MAC in the early 2010s, administrators faced the daunting task of writing an entire conference governance model completely from scratch. Seeking to ensure that the academic side of the campus mission had a prominent seat at the table, Cedarville University Athletic Director Dr. Alan Geist invited veteran faculty member and former head volleyball coach Teresa Clark to join those initial boardroom conversations.
Rather than simply adopting standard collegiate guidelines, Clark and the league's charter leaders set out to elevate the bar for Division II scholar-athletes from Day 1.
"We were pioneers in a territory that most of us had no experience in—forming a conference," Clark recalled. "We started looking at other conferences and what their academic standards and bylaws were. We looked at the NCAA Division II standards, and then we bumped it up. We made a little higher standard... We wanted our student-athletes to be proud of not just their athletic accomplishments, but also be very proud of what they were getting done in the classroom."
That commitment went far beyond written policy statements. Recognizing the immense physical and travel pressures placed on student-athletes, founding university presidents made protecting classroom time a non-negotiable priority. To safeguard that mission, the G-MAC instituted a distinct governance structure granting each institution’s Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) an official vote at the conference table—an institutional safeguard designed to preserve academic integrity that remains a defining feature of the league today.
"One thing that really stood out, and I think makes us a little unique in conferences when it comes to academic, is we decided back then to have the FAR at each institution have a vote at the conference table," Clark explained. "The reasoning behind that was to assure the academic integrity stood firm and that the FARs were involved with decisions. Really, what sparked that was the presidents at that time that were very actively involved in forming this conference really wanted to make sure we protected missed class time as much as possible."
For Clark, who spent nearly three decades at Cedarville as a professor, head volleyball coach (1996–2005), and FAR (2008–2023), serving in the role meant acting as a vital bridge and mediator between university professors, head coaches, and student-athletes.
"It is a vital role to make sure that the academic world and the athletic world has a mediator, I used to call it," Clark said. "One of my most important roles as an FAR was to make sure that faculty, student-athletes, and coaches all understood the policies that they had to follow and then make sure that they followed them... I was that in-between person."
Leveraging her rare 360-degree perspective, she helped pioneer practical campus solutions—from proctoring final exams on team road trips and establishing two-day early class registration to enforcing 3-day advance absence notifications and setting up academic accountability plans.
In the conference’s inaugural 2012–13 season, that high standard was formalized with the launch of the G-MAC Academic All-Conference Team. Setting a steep 3.3 GPA requirement for student-athletes balancing demanding travel and competition, the honor established an immediate benchmark for scholar-athlete excellence.
"That was a high, high bar—it was a 3.3 GPA in order to even be considered and get that award," Clark noted. "That's really tough when you're a student-athlete and you're on the road so much... But we wanted them to know we want you to meet that standard, and we want to acknowledge that you've met that standard. It just shows what we wanted to accomplish in the G-MAC to say we are student-athletes and get that done."
Today, that foundational culture continues to yield national dividends, with G-MAC member institutions regularly earning the prestigious NCAA President’s Award for Academic Excellence.
Reflecting on the evolution from those initial 2011 boardroom meetings to today's thriving conference, Clark offers a timeless reminder of the ultimate goal behind the Division II experience:
"Work as hard in the classroom as you do at your sport," Clark said. "Enjoy every single minute of the competition, but make sure that you are well prepared in your career because that's what's going to happen when you graduate."
Where Episode 1 revealed how Cedarville and the G-MAC set out to earn respect on the floor, Episode 2 demonstrates how charter leaders built the conference's enduring backbone in the classroom.
ABOUT THE VAULT SERIES
Talkin' G-MAC: The Vault Series is a 15-part retrospective project celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Featuring interviews with founding administrators, championship coaches, and historic student-athletes, the series highlights the defining moments that shaped the conference into a premier Division II league. Listen to full episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or at GreatMidwestSports.com.
WATCH EPISODE 2