College of Saint Mary Flames named Champions of Character Five Star Institution for fifth year in a row
OMAHA, Neb.— The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic (NAIA) announced that the College of Saint Mary Flames has been named a Champions of Character Five Star Institution for the 2013-2014 academic year. The NAIA Champions of Character program creates an environment in which every NAIA student-athlete, coach, official and spectator is committed to the true spirit of competition through five core values:
- Integrity: The internal traits that develops, guides and ensures positive behavior.
- Respect: The simple act of treating others the way you would want to be treated.
- Responsibility: The social force that guides an individual to work first for the good of the team.
- Sportsmanship: The belief in following the rules, spirit and good-natured etiquette of athletic competition.
- Servant leadership: Dedication to the greater good, for the benefit of all.
The Champions of Character scorecard was created in order to convert the NAIA's vision and strategy into measurable goals to monitor progress toward advancing character-driven intercollegiate athletics. Points are earned in five key areas: character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion. Institutions earn points based upon exceptional student-athlete grade point averages and by obtaining zero ejections during competition throughout the course of the academic year. As an NAIA institution, College of Saint Mary conducts a Champions of Character campus program which includes:
- Ongoing character education for all student-athletes using the Champions of Character Live 5 orientation program.
- Professional development for coaches and athletics administrative staff including completion of the Character-Driven Coaching course.
- An emphasis on hospitality, proper game management and exemplary conduct in competition.
- Servant leadership activities that allow student-athletes to engage the community.
- Ongoing assessment of progress in the program's implementation.