co-educational in fall 2020. On July 15, 2020, the Empire 8 postponed all fall sports, but provided conference championships in those sports in spring 2021. On August 26, 2021, Medaille posted its admission to the E8 in 2022–23 from the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. Chronological timeline 1964 - The Empire 8 was founded of the Independent College Athletic Conference (ICAC). charter members included Alfred University, Clarkson College of Technology (now Clarkson University), Hobart College (later William Smith College followed suit when women's sports was added into the conference), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), St. Lawrence University, and Union College, effective beginning the 1964-65 academic year. 1971 - Union (N.Y.) left the ICAC, effective after the 1970-71 academic year. 1971 - Ithaca College and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) joined the ICAC, effective in the 1971-72 academic year. 1991 - Alfred and Clarkson left the ICAC, effective after the 1990-91 academic year. 1991 - The ICAC has been regrouped to become the Empire Athletic Association ( EAA), effective in the 1991-92 academic year. 1991 - Hartwick College joined the EAA, effective in the 1991-92 academic year. 1993 - Hobart/William Smith, Rensselaer Poly (RPI) and St. Lawrence left the EAA, effective after the 1992-93 academic year. 1993 - Elmira College, Nazareth College and Utica College (now Utica University) joined the EAA, effective in the 1993-94 academic year. 1998 - St. John Fisher College joined the EAA, with Alfred re-joining alongside, effective in the 1998-99 academic year. 1999 - The EAA has been rebranded as the Empire 8 Athletic Conference (Empire 8 or E8), hosting 13 sponsored sports, effective in the 1999-2000 academic year. 2006 - Stevens Institute of Technology (Stevens Tech or Stevens) joined the Empire 8 as an affiliate member for field hockey, effective in the 2006 fall season (2006-07 academic year). 2007 - Stevens upgraded to join the Empire 8 for all sports, effective in the 2007-08 academic year. 2011 - Rochester Tech (RIT) left the Empire 8 for the Liberty League, effective after the 2010-11 academic year. Salisbury U. (MD) joined for football. 2012 - Houghton College joined the Empire 8, effective in the 2012-13 academic year. 2015 - Salisbury U. (MD) left to join the NJAC. 2017 - Ithaca left the Empire 8 to join the Liberty League, effective after the 2016-17 academic year. 2017 - Russell Sage College (then a women's college) and Sage College of Albany joined