HUNTER COLLEGE–Last April, the City University of New York’s Athletic Conference made a groundbreaking announcement about the conference’s future. Right across the Hudson river in Jersey City, New Jersey City University is set to join CUNYAC’s institutions in creating a “new and expanded conference” in 2027. This news came off the end of the men’s volleyball season, which saw Hunter come as the runners-up to Baruch, who are now five-time conference champions. Timing aside, this news left many wondering why both CUNYAC and NJCU decided to go with this decision.
CUNYAC’s new commissioner, Dr. Kurt Patberg was named to the position in January 2025. Patberg was commissioner of the newly formed Collegiate Conference of the South, another Division three conference. He is the former head of a pair of division two conferences as well as an NAIA conference. Patberg is vice president of Mammoth Sports Consulting, a construction firm in Kansas that specializes in sports fields and gyms.
