Contact: Marci Lippert, Director of Athletic Communications- 610-606-4666 x. 3727

PENNSYLVANIA ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES NEW NAME

Aston, PA (May 1, 2008) – Commissioner Amy Frankenstein-Friedman announced today that the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) will be changing its name to the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC), effective July 1, 2008.

With the new name comes a massive rebranding effort that will change the identity of the conference.

“This is an exciting time for the conference,” Commissioner Frankenstein-Friedman said. “The new name recognizes that we have member schools that are not in Pennsylvania. And, after years of being confused with other conferences that are similarly named, we will be able to create a new identity and really stand out from the crowd.”

The PAC’s Marketing and Re-branding Committee, composed of administrators and student-athletes from member institutions, conducted two surveys to obtain feedback on what features were important in a conference name. More than 1200 visitors looked at the surveys, and more than 800 completed them.

With feedback from the first survey coming from other conference commissioners, student-athletes, parents, alumni, current students, faculty and staff, the committee was able to create a list of 10 possible names. That list was the basis of the second survey, in which respondents ranked the names in order of preference.

“We learned from the surveys that it was important for the new name to be representative of not only our member institutions, but also our location,” said the commissioner. “It was also important that the historical significance of the area be represented somehow. I think we’ve accomplished that.”

The top four names were presented to the conference Athletic Directors to be ranked, and then to the Board of Directors for a final vote. With a name chosen, the conference office began a trademark and copyright search to confirm that the name was free and clear for use.

With the name cleared, the conference is moving forward with logo development. As developments unfold, more information will be made available.

As of July 1, 2008, the member institutions of the Colonial States Athletic Conference will be: Baptist Bible College, Cabrini College, Cedar Crest College, Centenary College, College of Notre Dame, Gwynedd-Mercy College, Keystone College, Immaculata University, Marywood University, Neumann College, Rosemont College, and Philadelphia Biblical University. Shenandoah University will continue as an associate member in Men's Lacrosse.