Alvernia College president Tom Flynn announced Thursday that the institution has accepted an invitation from the Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Conference, commonly referred to as the MAC, to join the Freedom Conference as a full-time member starting in the 2008-09 academic year.

Alvernia has been a charter member of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference since the inception of the conference in 1992. Alvernia has captured 21 PAC team championships over the past 14 years. The Crusaders have picked up four PAC Player of the Year awards so far this year bringing the school total to 17 since 1992.

“This is a fine opportunity for our athletes and program,” Flynn said. “MAC members have developed strong academic traditions while earning respect for their athletic programs both regionally and nationally.”

The MAC was founded in 1912 and currently consists of 13 member institutions including Albright, Arcadia, Delaware Valley, DeSales, Elizabethtown, FDU-Florham, King's, Lebanon Valley, Lycoming, Manhattanville, Messiah, Widener, and Wilkes. The MAC boasts 20 NCAA national champions in a variety of sports over its 95-year existence.

“Alvernia is but a year away from celebrating our 50th anniversary in 2008, while the MAC approaches its centennial celebration a few years later,” Flynn said. “Now, we look forward to sharing these milestones together, strengthening the partnerships among our schools; enjoying all the triumphs, disappointments, and our fair share of championships; celebrating the grit and the glory, the passion and the character formation, that typify NCAA Division III athletics.”

Alvernia will honor its scheduled commitments and compete in the PAC for the 2007-08 seasons before its move to the MAC.