Yankee Small College Conference: Brief Narrative 2005-2021
A pioneer collegiate athletic conference in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), the Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) is a leader on the national landscape for small college intercollegiate athletics in the 21st century.
Origins: Since its formation in 2005, the YSCC has achieved stature and stability in small two and four-year collegiate athletics across much of New England and eastern New York State.
Throughout its history, the YSCC has provided leadership within the United States Collegiate Athletic Association on the vital issues facing small college athletics. NHTI, Southern Maine CC, Central Maine CC, U. Maine - Augusta, and Vermont Tech have been in the YSCC since its formation in September 2005. The other founding members of the YSCC included Northern Maine CC, Eastern Maine CC, Hesser College, and Unity College.
Expansion and Contraction:
Colby-Sawyer was added as an associate member of the YSCC in 2007 and withdrew in February 2009. Hesser College dropped out of the YSCC in the spring of 2009. Nashua CC and Great Bay CC made a presentation to the YSCC meeting in February 2009, and Great Bay CC was subsequently accepted into the YSCC at the May 2009 meeting as a full member. Nashua CC was accepted into the YSCC as a full member at the May 2010 meeting of the organization.
Erica Knolloff had been the athletic director at Hesser College, but when Hesser College closed in June 2010, Erica became the Athletic Director at Nashua CC.
In February 2011, the YSCC considered proposals for membership from Hampshire College as well as three colleges that had been fellow members of the NAIA and the Sunrise Conference. The University of Maine – Machias, Paul Smith’s College and the College of St. Joseph’s (VT) departed the NAIA and the Sunrise Conference and joined the USCAA in 2010. Hampshire applied for membership into the USCAA for the 2011 – 12 academic year.
In May 2011, Hampshire College, the University of Maine – Machias, Paul Smith’s College and the College of St. Joseph’s all gained full status membership into the YSCC.
Both Nashua Community College and Northern Maine Community College left the YSCC in the spring of 2015. Eastern Maine Community College departed the YSCC in the spring of 2016.
In the spring 2019, the College of St. Joseph’s (Vermont) ceased functioning as a college and departed the Yankee Small College Conference. Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Science (ACPHS) joined the YSCC in the spring 2019, while Northern Essex Community College (MA) joined the YSCC in the spring 2019 as an affiliate member.
The spring and summer 2020 were dramatically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the shutdown of spring sports and campuses finishing out the spring ’20 semester with on-line or virtual education across the nation. The COVID pandemic continued to have a dramatic impact on collegiate education across the nation, with many campuses remaining virtual and yet others offered classes both virtually and in person. Athletics within the YSCC were continually dealing with the updated changes offered by the national Center for Disease Control’s (CDC), as well as each state’s Governor and Department of Health regulations regarding travel, social distancing, mask wearing, and athletic practices and competitions. Actual competitions within the YSCC and beyond were in a virtual stand-still through the fall and winter.
Meanwhile, the University of Maine – Machias discontinued their athletic program in the fall 2020, while Unity College discontinued in-person academics and made the college-wide decision to head directly into virtual education across the campus. Unity discontinued their athletic program in the fall 2020.
York County Community College (ME) submitted an application to join the YSCC for the fall 2021’s athletic competition season. YCCC hired Jen Laney to be the Associate Dean of Student Services and is the first Athletic Director at YCCC.
(Updated June 2021)