"I think it'll be fun for new students that come in. They get to be part of something that's never happened at ACU before. You know, I think that'll be really exciting," said ACU senior, Emily Miller.
"It's exciting to make history," said Savannah Smith, ACU junior.
It's an announcement that everyone was excited to hear. And while it will be good for athletics, moving to D1 will be good for every student at ACU.
"There's a higher requirement for graduation rates," said university provost Robert Rhodes. "For the pace of accomplishment of your academic programs."
For both current and future students, the higher level of academics means for a more attractive looking school.
"People will want to come because it's high grades and its excellent work ethic and all of that. I think the aesthetic for the school will go up a lot," said Miller.
The decision to accept the D1 offer is an expensive one. But campus officials say they've done everything in their power to minimize the impact on the campus budget itself.
"But we've been able to largely manage this through minimal plan additions to our budget and through our alumni base and donations," said Rhodes.
To assure that the idea of an education at ACU is a reachable goal, the university has made sure the cost won't effect students and the price of tuition.
"Want to be sure that as students look to go to ACU, that we do things that allow it to be more accessible. And I think this was part of that carefully thought out process, to be sure that we kept tuition and cost in mind as we made this move," said Rhodes.
However, students think the cost is worth it simply to have the title.
"You want to go to a d1 school. I think just as a high schooler, you want to go to a big school that has a big, fun band and everyone's school spirited," said Miller. "And you put D1 on the end of it and it just makes it attractive."
"It's exciting to make history," said Savannah Smith, ACU junior.
It's an announcement that everyone was excited to hear. And while it will be good for athletics, moving to D1 will be good for every student at ACU.
"There's a higher requirement for graduation rates," said university provost Robert Rhodes. "For the pace of accomplishment of your academic programs."
For both current and future students, the higher level of academics means for a more attractive looking school.
"People will want to come because it's high grades and its excellent work ethic and all of that. I think the aesthetic for the school will go up a lot," said Miller.
The decision to accept the D1 offer is an expensive one. But campus officials say they've done everything in their power to minimize the impact on the campus budget itself.
"But we've been able to largely manage this through minimal plan additions to our budget and through our alumni base and donations," said Rhodes.
To assure that the idea of an education at ACU is a reachable goal, the university has made sure the cost won't effect students and the price of tuition.
"Want to be sure that as students look to go to ACU, that we do things that allow it to be more accessible. And I think this was part of that carefully thought out process, to be sure that we kept tuition and cost in mind as we made this move," said Rhodes.
However, students think the cost is worth it simply to have the title.
"You want to go to a d1 school. I think just as a high schooler, you want to go to a big school that has a big, fun band and everyone's school spirited," said Miller. "And you put D1 on the end of it and it just makes it attractive."
