Buzzards Bay, Mass. --  What began in 1970 as the vision of Massachusetts State College Trustee Howard C. Smith has evolved into one of the nation’s most prestigious athletic conferences over the last four decades, and during the course of the upcoming 2010-11 academic year, the overall excellence of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference will be the focus of celebration.

Throughout the year, the MASCAC will honor numerous student-athletes, teams, coaches, administrators and other individuals who have had a profound impact in shaping the rich history and tradition of the member institutions that have comprised the league since Smith’s vision became reality in June 1971, and that celebration will, in the words of MASCAC Commissioner Angela Baumann, “will truly bring to light what the meaning of the term ‘student-athlete’ is really about.”

“Our conference has been blessed to feature so many gifted student-athletes, so many talented coaches, so many hard-working administrators and so many caring individuals that have contributed to its growth, development and sustained excellence,” said Baumann.  “As we embark on what will be a memorable 40^th anniversary celebration, I think everyone will realize how special our member schools are and what impact they have made on the lives of many young men and women over the years.”

The MASCAC will highlight different events during the course of each week of the upcoming academic year that have shaped the conference’s history, as through press releases, presentations on the league’s website (www.mascac.com), announcements via new media and on-campus events, the stories of championships earned in competition and degrees earned in the classroom will tell and reflect the MASCAC’s continued commitment to the overall student-athlete experience.  Baumann also announced today that the MASCAC will use a special commemorative 40^th Anniversary logo throughout the year.

Earlier this week, the MASCAC announced that it was changing its acronym to “Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference” to reflect the name change of six member institutions (Bridgewater State, Fitchburg State, Framingham State, Salem State, Westfield State and Worcester State) from College to University, effective October 26^th.  Though the institutional name changes will not take place officially until later this fall, Baumann stated that the conference name change would take place immediately.

In addition to the six universities listed previously, the MASCAC is also comprised of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.  Two other institutions, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Plymouth State University, are affiliate members of the conference in the sport of men’s ice hockey.