University of Northwestern President Alan Cureton begins leadership roles with NCAA Division III and NEA

ST.PAUL, MN (02/26/2015)(readMedia)-- University of Northwestern – St. Paul President Alan S. Cureton, Ph.D. began his first term as chair of the NCAA Division III Presidents Council on January 1 and will soon attend his first meeting as an at-large member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) on March 15.

NCAA Division III Presidents Council

On January 1 began his two-year term as chair of the NCAA Division III Presidents Council, having previously served as vice-chair.

The Presidents Council is the highest ranking group in the NCAA Division III governance structure, meeting in person on a quarterly basis and exercising ultimate authority for creating, modifying and implementing policies as well as oversight of allocation of the annual NCAA Division III budget.

As chair of the council, Cureton also serves on the Board of Governors for all of the NCAA, which has 11 Division I presidents and two presidents each representing Divisions II and III. Cureton noted that the agenda items "are vast and challenging," dealing with complicated issues such as pay for play and Penn State.

National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) Board of Directors

One of four college presidents, Cureton was appointed as a member to the board last October for a term that runs through September 2017. Speaking of his new role he said, "Participation [on the NAE board] provides an opportunity to increase the stature, visibility and viability of Northwestern on a national level within the evangelical movement."

NAE's mission is to honor God by connecting and representing evangelical Christians. The Association represents more than 45,000 local churches from 40 different denominations and serves a constituency of millions.

With more than 36 years of experience in higher education, Cureton has served as president of Northwestern since 2002. He holds a B.A. in Bible and Christian Education from Sterling College and a Ph.D. in History and Philosophy of Education from Iowa State University. In 2007, he received the Alumni Achievement Award from Iowa State University, recognizing his meritorious service and distinguished achievements in higher education. In 2013, he received the Outstanding Alumni Award from Sterling College.

University of Northwestern – St. Paul (formerly Northwestern College) is a Christian university in St. Paul, Minn. Providing students an invaluable integration faith and education, UNW offers 70+ areas of undergraduate study, six master's degrees, and online and early college programs, all from a biblical worldview. Northwestern Media, a ministry of the university, operates 15 Christian radio stations and reaches over 1,000,000 listeners throughout the Midwest. Visit unwsp.edu for more information.