Rust College is one of 157 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) member institutions who won a Champions of Character Five-Star Award for 2021-2022.
The NAIA measures institutions on their demonstrated commitment to the NAIA Champions of Character program which is designed to help coaches, players, and parents find balance by keeping five core values at the heart of the athletic experience: integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership.
Jarvis Stephen, Rust College alum and first-year Athletic Director, says receiving the Silver Level Award was “earned” because of the work put in by the athletic staff and students.
Institutions earn points based on exceptional student-athlete grade point averages and by having minimal to no ejections during competition throughout the course of the academic year.
Rust College Athletics Department is hosting student-athlete training camp, C.H.A.M.P.S. (communication, hustle, academics, mental health, professionalism, and servant leadership), from August 1 to August 12. “C.H.A.M.P.S. gives the student-athletes a chance to better
understand their campus, bond with their teammates and coaches, and overall get accustomed to college life,” said Stephen.
The Bearcats are committed to advancing character-driven athletics. Stephen says next year, “we’re getting the gold.”
About Rust College
Rust College is the oldest most prestigious historically black college in Mississippi founded in 1866 by the Freedmen’s Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Offering degree programs in business, education, humanities, science and mathematics, and social science, Rust College equips and inspires students for excellence and service in their communities and throughout the world. Located in Holly Springs, MS, just 35 miles southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, Rust College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate and baccalaureate degrees.
