DANA NAMED "CHAMPION OF CHARACTER"
SCHOOL
College commended for fostering
"true spirit" of competition
Dana College is proud to announce that it has once
again been chosen asa a National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics (NAIA) “Champion of Character” Institution.
The
award recognizes NAIA member institutions that have embraced the
character program by promoting or implementing activities related
to the five core character
values of the initiative. This is the fourth year of the recognition program
for the Association.
In an effort to give the The NAIA’s Champions
of Character initiative a more active role on campus, the Dana College Athletic
Department spearheaded
several new projects this school year.
The Viking Elite Student Athletes (VESA)
organization was formed to recognize athletes with outstanding
character and promote realistic role models in our
community.
“Currently we have 24 student athletes involved
in off-campus activities. The activities include visits to Crowell
Home, Cooper Village, Blair West Elementary
and the Cardio Club at Dana College,” said Pat Morris, co-VESA’s
staff representative and assistant football coach.
A weekly “Champion
of Character” award honors a Dana student who
has demonstrated at least one of the core character values which are: Respect,
Responsibility, Integrity, Servant Leadership and Sportsmanship.
Dana’s
athletic teams have been involved in several community service projects,
including the annual Ladies Auxiliary Rummage Sale benefiting Memorial
Community Hospital, and the recent Homeless Challenge fundraiser for
Goldenrod Hills Community
Action. Teams also volunteered to pick up trash along Highway 133, sort
items at Joseph’s Coat, a thrift store run by local pastors, and
clean up after a fish fry. Volunteers also assisted with on-campus activities
such as the Lewis & Clark
celebration, student move-in day, the Danish gymnastics performance,
and the Sights & Sounds of Christmas. Each year student athletes
serve each other by working at Dana’s approximately 120 home athletic
events.
Several Dana student athletes attended the Champions
of Character Summit in Sioux City in October. Plans are in the
works for an outreach
event
about the
Champions
of Character initiative to be held in Blair this spring.
“My personal goal is to build relationships with local schools involved
in the Character Counts program for a combined effort to promote good character
in our community,” said Leslie Rasmussen, Campus Character representative
and sports information director.
“I am delighted that Dana has again been named
a “Champion of Character” school
by the NAIA,” said Dr. Myrvin Christopherson, president. “With
all the negative examples being provided to young people today
by professional and
college sports, it is gratifying to be a part of a program that
prizes good sportsmanship and character development. We don’t
always act as we should, I’m
sure, but we aim to be a cut above the norm when it comes to modeling
good behavior in sports competition.”
Overall, 188 campuses
earned the “Champion of Character” accolade
for the 2003-04 academic year.
Dana College is a place where all
students actively participate. They make things happen — in
their own lives and in the lives of others. Through a highly supportive
faculty and campus community, Dana students develop interpersonal
skills, leadership abilities, and other important values and knowledge
as they
make choices about their future. Dana’s outstanding academic
programs in business, education, art and social work, among others,
ensure that students
have the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to pursue challenging
careers or placement in graduate school.
Dana College is a private,
liberal arts institution in Blair, Neb. To learn more, visit www.dana.edu.
Dana
College: Develop talents, Take charge, Build a future — We’re
with you all the way.
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For more information contact:
Sarah Cavanah
Communications Coordinator
Dana College
(402) 426-7216
scavanah@dana.edu
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