I and the rest of the college hockey community would be much remiss if we did not avail ourselves of the opportunity to express in a public forum our gratitude toward all the people who fought successfully to defeat an attempt by a minority of the NCAA Division III member schools to remove the ability of Clarkson University, Colorado College, Hartwick College, the Johns Hopkins University, SUNY-Oneonta, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rutgers-Newark, and Saint Lawrence University to award athletic scholarships in their D-I sports programs.

The preservation of athletic scholarship programs at these institutions means the preservation of four of the most storied college hockey programs in the country, along with several other venerated teams. Specifically, thanks must go out to Presidents Tony Collins, Richard Celeste, Shirley Ann Jackson, Dan Sullivan, William Brody, Richard Miller, and Alan Donovan, as well as Rutgers-Newark Provost Steven Diner. Further, thanks to Athletic Directors Sean Frazier, Julie Soriero, Ken Ralph, Margie Strait, Tom Calder, Betty Powell, Steve Garner, and Mary Wessely.

All of these people spent an enormous amount of time contacting the presidents of the 424 D-III member schools to plead the case of the eight affected programs. Thanks also to Senators Charles Schumer and John Kyl, as well as all the other state and local elected officials who took time out of their busy schedules to support our cause.

Additional thanks to U.S. College Hockey Online General Manager Jayson Moy, for utilizing USCHO’s resources to alert the community of college hockey fans to proposed legislation that would have severely damaged our sport. Thanks to USCHO columnist Adam Wodon, for his continuing attempts to interject some common sense into a debate which, by all measures of logic, never should have occurred.

Thanks to Mr. John Blauvelt, for creating the online petition that garnered over eight thousand signatures. Thanks to ECAC Commissioner Phil Buttafuoco and WCHA Commissioner Bruce McLeod for their statements in support of the affected institutions.

Finally, hearty thanks and sincerest apologies to anyone whom I may have inadvertently omitted in my attempt to be comprehensive in my acknowledgments. College hockey fans owes all these people an immeasurable debt of gratitude for their efforts. Their determination and dedication is a shining realization of the ideals of college athletics.

William von Achen