Bellarmine University is considering moving the remainder of its 22 varsity sports from the NCAA Division II to the Division I level, and may have a home in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Representatives from the ASUN Conference were on Bellarmine's campus last week to discuss a possible move, a source with direct knowledge told the Courier Journal on Thursday. The conference is expected to make a decision by May 15.

Bellarmine media relations director Jason Cissell and assistant athletic director John Spugnardi declined to comment. Representatives from the ASUN conference did not respond to a Courier Journal email seeking comment.

The news comes as Bellarmine continues to hold internal discussions and a series of community town halls to get input about effects of transitioning to the higher level.

Cissell confirmed the news about the meetings to the Courier Journal on Thursday, but declined to discuss a potential transition publicly, including a timeline and whether the school has the athletic facilities capable of competing in Division I.

The potential move is part of a planned university-wide growth effort, which would not only increase enrollment but also the school's local footprint. Spugnardi released the following the statement:

"In January 2018, Bellarmine began developing a new strategic plan to shape the university's future," the statement said. "In addition to a number of academic and administrative priorities, the plan calls for the university to review its athletics conference and divisional alignment. The goal of this review is to ensure the university is maximizing student opportunities for leadership and growth, alumni engagement, and the reach, visibility and impact of Bellarmine both regionally and nationally. This process is under way, with opportunities for continued input from the Bellarmine community."

Bellarmine, a private university, currently has 22 athletic programs, 21 of which compete at the Division II level in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. One program, men's lacrosse, already competes at the Division I level in the Southern Conference.

Previously:Bellarmine 'had no answers' in loss to Southern Indiana in regional final

Perhaps the team with the most exposure is the men's basketball team, which has been competitive in exhibition games against Cincinnati and Louisville in the last two years, and won the 2011 National Division II Championship.

Long-time coach Scott Davenport, who has experience coaching at the Division I level as an assistant at Louisville, expressed support for exploring the move, saying "anything that's great for Bellarmine University will be great for Bellarmine basketball."

"Whatever happens, I'm proud that they are spending an unbelievable amount of time and effort and energy in doing what's best for everybody — the staff, the students, their families, the alumni, everybody," he said.

Moving to Division I from the GLVC is not unprecedented. Purdue Fort Wayne jumped up after the 2000-2001 season, and joined the Summit League in 2007. More recently, Northern Kentucky left the GLVC after the 2011-2012 season, and then eventually joined the Horizon League.

More:How Bellarmine became the biggest little program in college basketball

The move paid off for both schools, at least in terms of men's basketball. The Mastodons upset then No. 3-ranked Indiana in 2016, the school's first win over a top-25 team in program history. The Norse advanced to the NCAA Tournament this year for the second time in three years.

Davenport said the fact that Bellarmine is even exploring a move is "what you're supposed to do."

"That's very comforting to me as the head basketball coach ... that our leadership is spending the effort and the time to do what's best and to look at everything," he said.

The ASUN Conference is already home to a number of schools that formerly competed at the Division II level, including Florida Gulf Coast, Liberty and North Alabama. Liberty and North Alabama were the last to join the conference in 2018.

Bellarmine's total athletic expenses are roughly half the average of the nine current full-time members of the ASUN conference, or just shy of $19 million, according to figures from the U.S. Board of Education.

Bellarmine's total expenses were $8.57 million in 2017-2018. The lowest of the ASUN programs were North Alabama ($9 million) and North Florida ($11.9 million). Liberty has the highest total expenses in the ASUN ($40 million.)

The required transition period for schools moving to Division I is four years. Teams are allowed to compete at the level, but are not eligible to play for championships until the transition period is over.

Bellarmine's campus-wide strategic plan is an initiative that was continued by university president Susan Donovan, who joined the school in July 2017.

The school has successfully completed a $100 million capital campaign, and established a steering committee that met with campus stakeholders, including students and faculty, in an effort to increase enrollment, diversity and innovation. The university website said the plan will be finalized this May.

Bellarmine's undergraduate enrollment in the fall 2018 semester was 2,552, according to its website, which would put it among the smaller Division I schools. But it's comparable to members of the ASUN, including Stetson (3,150) and Jacksvonille (2,920).

Justin Sayers: 502-582-4252; jsayers@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @_JustinSayers. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/justins.