PNC Earns NAIA Champions of Character Status

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) recently announced that Purdue University North Central has been named a Champions of Character institution for the 2008-09 academic year. This the sixth 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 are pleased to have the opportunity to help out where they are needed in the community. We look forward to continuing our tradition of community service."

To be considered a Champions of Character institution, schools are reviewed by a team directed by Rob Haworth, 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. Recent activities include ringing the bell for the Salvation Army, helping raise money for Opportunity Enterprises in Valparaiso, assisting in the Chesterton tornado clean-up, supporting local holiday functions for needy families, reading to grade school students, helping local YMCAs, hosting free athletic camps and clinics in the community, aiding in activities within the PNC campus community, raising money to aid victims of catastrophic events, helping families in need and more.

"Champions of Character has a profound impact on student-athletes, coaches and in the communities the NAIA and member institutions serve. I am delighted to see an increase in the number of schools that use the program to intentionally teach character," said Haworth "Champions of Character uses the power of sports to teach lessons for life. I applaud these institutions for their commitments to advancing character-driven intercollegiate athletics."