Villanova's president, Rev. Peter Donohue, released the following email regarding the upgrade of the Villanova Football program to the FBS level...
Dear Villanova Alumni,
I wanted to update you on some recent happenings at the Big East Conference regarding its FBS football program. As you may recall, the Big East Commissioner paid a visit to Villanova in early September and reported that the members were interested in adding Villanova as a football member of the conference.
Earlier this week at our bi-annual conference meeting, the Big East presidents officially approved a process to evaluate terms and conditions for expansion in order to enhance membership stability and to assure our competitive position for the future. Because of this, there has been increased media interest, and therefore you may once again hear rumors and speculation as to possible plans and expansion strategies for the conference as well as how it impacts Villanova's decision.
I want to assure you that this announcement in no way affects the Board and my commitment to the process or our in-depth and thorough evaluation of this opportunity. We are continuing on our exploratory path--looking at all possible scenarios and working diligently to compile the necessary information in order to make a thoughtful, informed decision.
In the coming weeks, we will be reaching out to you, as it is important that we engage our entire community. This is a major decision for Villanova--with many pros and cons--and throughout the process we are dedicated to being as open and transparent as possible.
As I shared with you in September, a decision will be made only after we conduct a careful and complete analysis and weigh all the options. We expect this assessment to conclude by early spring 2011. Regardless of the timeframe, we will do what's right for Villanova, and you can be confident that whatever decision we make will fully support our community-wide commitment to the University's strategic objectives.
Sincerely,
Rev. Peter Donohue, OSA