ARKANSAS TECH UNIVERSITY EARNS $500 GRANT FROM
NCAA DIVISION II FOR ITS COMMUNITY-ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS

       RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech University is one of 22 NCAA Division II schools that have been awarded a $500 community service grant thanks to being selected as a winner of the 2008  Community Engagement Award of Excellence from Division II and the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators.

 Tech, who was selected as the NACMA winner from the Gulf South Conference, won the $500 grant thanks to its National Girls and Women in Sports Day event that was held on Feb. 2, 2008.

“Winning this award is a huge honor for Arkansas Tech University, the Gulf South Conference and the River Valley community,” Tech Senior Women’s Administrator and Head Volleyball Coach Kristy Bayer said Wednesday. “We are looking forward to doing many more community engagement events in the River Valley area. This grant makes future events possible.”

Bayer said that the $500 grant that Tech received can now be used for other community-engagement efforts.

NCAA Division II and the NACMA staged the community-engagement contest to build momentum for Division II’s community-engagement initiative and reward institutions for their creativity in advancing the initiative. The Division II schools were encouraged to submit their best community-engagement promotion from the “ideas that work” section on the Division II community-engagement website (www.diicommunity.org).

The National Girls and Women in Sports Day event, which had over 40 participants, was a series of mini sports clinics in basketball, golf, tennis, volleyball, dance and cheerleading for girls and also included free admission to Tech’s women’s basketball game against Ouachita Baptist and an autograph session after the game from the Golden Suns players.

“Giving back to the community is an important part of the student-athlete experience, especially at the NCAA Division II level,” Bayer added. “I would like to thank the student-athlete volunteers and participants that made this award possible.”

Northern Michigan University out of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was selected as the 2008 winner of the Division II and NACMA Community Engagement Award of Excellence thanks to its Fall Sports Kick-Off, which was designed to shine a light on what Northern Michigan athletics has to offer to the campus and to the Marquette, Michigan, community. Northern Michigan will be recognized at the NACMA Convention in June.

In addition to Tech and Northern Michigan, other conference winners were:

California Collegiate Athletic Association – Cal State Stanislaus (Henry’s March, benefiting the Children’s Craniofacial Association).

Central Atlantic – Philadelphia University (Ram Madness, which collected funds for the Northern Home for Children).

Conference Carolinas – Coker College (Taste of Coker, raising funds for Coker Athletic Booster Club).

East Coast – NYIT (Night Out On the Bears, which included free physical fitness advice, games and food for children and their families).

Great Lakes Valley – Bellarmine University (Think Pink, to raise breast-cancer awareness).

Great Northwest – Montana State-Billings (A Soccer Home for the Billings Community, to raise money for a community soccer field).

Heartland – Dallas Baptist (Operation Christmas Child, to provide help for underprivileged children around the world).

Independents – Chaminade (The Palolo Softball/Soccer Camps and Think Pink initiatives).

Lone Star – Eastern New Mexico (High Hopes Benefit dinner and dance).

Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association – Emporia State (Full Circle, helping senior citizens).

North Central – Nebraska-Omaha (UNO Rake-A-Thon, student-athletes doing yard work).

Northeast-10 – Stonehill College (Easton Appreciation Day, student-athletes instructing children in baseball).

Northern Sun – Southwest Minnesota State (SMSU Ag Bowl).

Peach Belt – UNC Pembroke (Lumber River Senior Games, helping senior citizens stay active).

Pennsylvania State – Slippery Rock University (National Girls and Women in Sports Day event).

Rocky Mountain – Metro State (Building Bridges to the Community, helping local high school sports).

South Atlantic – Lincoln Memorial (LMU Baseball Youth Coaches Clinic).

Southern Intercollegiate – Benedict (Harambee Festival: A Power for Good in the Community).

Sunshine State – Tampa (Wendy’s FanFest).

West Virginia Intercollegiate – Shepherd (Presidential Inauguration, which included a football weekend as part of the festivities).

 -- Tech Athletics --