Date: Nov. 28, 2012
Contact: Carol Connelly, Director, Media & Communication Services, ext. 5267, cconnelly@pnc.edu

PNC Earns NAIA Champions of Character Status

Westville –The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) recently announced that Purdue University North Central has been named a Champions of Character institution for the 2011-12 academic year. This the ninth consecutive year that PNC has earned this distinction.

Institutions earning this distinction share the NAIA commitment to high standards and the principle that participation in athletics serves as an integral part of the total education process. The mission of Champions of Character is to restore character values and raise a generation of students who understand and demonstrate in everyday decisions respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship. The program is dedicated to the principle that character is a choice and that being a champion is not just about winning, but making good decisions consistently in daily life.

The NAIA and member institutions use the Champions of Character program to instill an understanding of character values in sports, and provide student-athletes, coaches and parents the training to help them know and do the right things, inside and outside the sports setting.

“We are proud to once again achieve the status of being a Champions of Character institution,” said John Weber, PNC Director of Student Athletics ; head baseball coach. “Our student-athletes and coaches have established a reputation of being leaders in the classroom, on the athletic field or court and in the community. They never cease to amaze regardless of the recognition, but it is well deserved.”

To be considered a Champions of Character institution, schools are reviewed by a team directed by the NAIA vice president for Champions of Character. Institutions must demonstrate how the Champions of Character program is incorporated in the areas of athletic contests, public service projects, established policies related to behavior in practice and game situations, athletic and academic environment and character education.

In representing the core Champions of Character values off the field, PNC student-athletes performed a number of charitable events in the surrounding communities. For example, recent activities include the baseball team assisting with pick-up and delivery of donated items to the recent victims of the fire in the University Park Apartments. The softball team will ring the bell for the Salvation Army this winter for a third time. The basketball and baseball teams offered free camps and clinics in the community. A number of student-athletes aid in activities within the PNC campus community throughout the year.