NORFOLK, Va., July 21, 2020 – Even during the leanest of times, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) has assisted its member institutions financially by making year-end revenue distributions at the conclusion of each academic year.  In fact, that has happened for 18 consecutive years.
 
The revenue distributions come from a variety of funding sources, including participation in the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Celebration Bowl, MEAC/SWAC Football Challenge and corporate partnership agreements.   Winning the MEAC men’s or women’s All-Sports Awards ($25,000 each) were not awarded this  year because the Spring sports were cancelled due to COVID-19. The award winners for the highest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) received $25,000 and Academic Progress Rate (APR) received $25,000,  along with other financial distributions.  South Carolina State University won the GSR Award this year, while North Carolina A&T State University won the APR Award.
 
“We’ve been able to distribute revenue back every year to all of our member institutions during my tenure as commissioner.  That is something that we’re tremendously proud of,” said Thomas.  “The funds the institutions receive from the MEAC go a long way toward assisting with student-athlete experiences, summer school, digital broadcasts and with other operational expenses.”
 
Despite the reduced revenue from the NCAA Basketball Tournament, the conference was still able to disseminate year-end monies to its member institutions.
 
“We have always been a financially frugal conference,” said Dr. Thomas.
 
The MEAC is embarking upon a year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary with the theme, “A Golden Past, A Glorius Future.”  Moving forward, that glory may well be attained with continued support from a conference known for helping its members retain their reputations as truly outstanding academic institutions.
 

About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) celebrates its 50th year of intercollegiate competition with the 2020-21 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of 11 outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.