The strongest Champions of Character programs are not standalone events. They become part of the identity and expectations of an athletics department.
Creating a Department-Wide Character Model
Bushnell University incorporates Champions of Character into its department philosophy through the Tri-Athlete Model: developing student-athletes in Competition, Classroom, and Character.
The model reinforces:
Carroll College, the inaugural NAIA School of Character, created a department-wide model that connects its culture directly to the Core Values.
Carroll’s model focuses on:
Lead With
Be Responsible For
Be a Champion In
The model is displayed throughout athletics facilities, included in student-athlete resources, and reinforced through orientation and team expectations.
Champions of Character education is most effective when student-athletes understand what the Core Values mean and how they apply in real situations.
One Campus Character Liaison shared an annual training model that includes:
Teams discuss scenarios involving:
Student-athletes often become the strongest ambassadors of Champions of Character when given leadership opportunities.
Examples from NAIA institutions include:
One institution uses a “train-the-trainer” approach where student-athlete leaders meet regularly for leadership development, discuss campus needs, and bring ideas back to their teams.
Carroll’s Association of Student-Athletes (ASA) has supported campus-wide initiatives including:
Carroll ASA leadership also helped establish a conference forum designed to support other institutions in strengthening their student-athlete leadership programs.
These Core Values are often demonstrated through how student-athletes represent themselves, their teams, and their institutions.
The Carroll football program partnered with a community organization to provide education focused on:
Senior football leaders helped facilitate conversations with younger teammates, creating a peer-led approach to character development.
This initiative demonstrated:
Institutions encourage sportsmanship through intentional messaging and recognition.
Examples include:
Bushnell has emphasized sportsmanship through:
Responsibility includes the choices student-athletes make in the classroom, in competition, and in their personal lives.
Bushnell connects responsibility to academic success through:
Institutions demonstrate Responsibility by supporting the whole student-athlete.
Examples include:
Bushnell provides mental health support through partnerships with counseling services and dedicated resources for student-athletes.
Service projects with established community partners are one of the most common ways institutions bring Champions of Character to life.
Bushnell student-athletes completed thousands of community service hours through department-wide and team-specific initiatives.
Student-athletes participate in service opportunities including:
Carroll women’s basketball student-athletes visit local schools to teach the Core Values and encourage younger students to become Champions of Character within their own communities.
Recognition reinforces that character development is valued alongside athletic achievement.
Recognition of student-athletes who demonstrate leadership, service, and commitment to department values.
Additional ways institutions are bringing Champions of Character to life:
Every institution’s Champions of Character program will look different. Start small, build consistently, and allow the culture to grow.