Karner Named 2005 Sports Ethics Fellow in Conjunction with National Sportsmanship Day

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Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Matt Stanek * Sports Information Director * 780 Regent Street * Madison, WI 53715 * Phone: (608) 265-6406 * www.uwsa.edu/wiac/

RELEASED: Tuesday, March 1, 2005

Karner Named 2005 Sports Ethics Fellow in Conjunction with National Sportsmanship Day

Kingston, RI--The Institute for International Sport proudly announces that Dr. Gary Karner, Commissioner of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, has been named a 2005 Sports Ethics Fellow. This year's list of Sports Ethics fellows, called "A Celebration of Division III," recognizes the great strides and ethical initiatives being undertaken at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III level. The 12 honorees have consistently demonstrated an interest in promoting the ideals of ethics and fair play in sport and society.

"Having spoken at more than 50 Division III institutions across the country, I am deeply impressed with the clear commitment to sportsmanship at the Division III level," said Dan Doyle, executive director of the Institute for International Sport. "Our 2005 Sports Ethics Fellows reflect this admirable commitment."

This year's Celebration of Division III Sports Ethics Fellows includes coaches, commissioners, professors and college administrators from institutions nationwide. In addition to Karner, the 2005 honorees are: Bill Beaney, Head Men's Hockey and Men's and Women's Golf Coach at Middlebury College (VT); Rico Cabral Associate Director of Athletics and Head Men's Basketball Coach at Mount Ida College (MA); Tim Gleason, Commissioner of the Ohio Athletic Conference; Dr. Todd S. Hutton, President of Utica College (NY) and the Empire 8 Athletic Conference; Roger Ingles, Interim Director of Athletics and Head Baseball Coach at Ohio Wesleyan University (OH); Donna Ledwin, Commissioner of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference; Dr. Leon Lunder, Director of Athletics at Carleton College (MN); Dr. Glada C. Munt, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Athletics at Southwestern University (TX); Jim Nelson, Director of Athletics at Suffolk University (MA); Dr. Sandra Slabik, Sports Management Professor at Neumann College (PA) and Chair of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Faculty Athletic Representatives; and Marge Willadsen, Head Softball Coach, Associate Athletic Director and Senior Women's Administrator at Buena Vista University (IA).

"As the largest division in the NCAA, Division III features an extraordinary amount of proactive and ethical leaders. These honorees exemplify the best characteristics of sporting and ethical behavior and have been strong advocates in an effort to improve the sporting culture," said Chuck Mitrano, Commissioner of the Empire 8 Athletic Conference and Chair of the 2005 Sports Ethics Fellows Selection Committee. "They are fine representatives of this year's Sports Ethics Fellows program, 'A Celebration of Division III.'"

Dr. Karner has been the driving force in developing a comprehensive program to promote positive sportsmanship in the WIAC. Under Karner's direction, the WIAC secured a NCAA grant to conduct a series of "conversations in character" designed to identify problems/issues in the areas of sportsmanship and ethical conduct, and to develop strategies for promoting positive sports behaviors among student-athletes, coaches and fans.

Karner spearheaded WIAC's Ambassador Program which entails individuals wearing easily identifiable Ambassador attire to athletic events and remaining visible throughout the contest to help curb unsporting behavior by fans. Karner also drafted a detailed WIAC Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct handbook which sets high conduct expectations for member institutions and fans.

"Not only has Gary been innovative in his approach to educating his membership on sporting behavior, but his impact has reached a broad spectrum of constituents, from the athletes to fans," states Mitrano. "He is most deserving of this tremendous honor."

The 12 Sports Ethics Fellows were selected from nominations submitted by their colleagues for their work as sports educators. They join past Sports Ethics Fellows such as world renowned cyclist Lance Armstrong, soccer star Mia Hamm, basketball All Star David Robinson and Olympic gold medalist Bonnie Blair. As chair of the program, Mitrano directed the Selection Committee as they winnowed dozens of nominations down to the final 12 Fellows.

"When we decided to focus upon Division III athletics for our Sports Ethics Fellows program this year, we could think of no better person to head this initiative than Chuck, who was a 2004 Sports Ethics Fellow," said Doyle. "Chuck has done tremendous work pulling together a distinguished group of honorees."

Sports Ethics Fellows are asked to help promote the ideals of National Sportsmanship Day by writing editorials for newspapers, magazines and the Internet, by doing public service announcements on sportsmanship, by making appearances at schools or community groups and by assisting the Institute in formulating future programs for the Day.

Sports Ethics Fellows are selected in conjunction with the National Sportsmanship Day program celebrated annually on the first Tuesday of March. As part of the fifteenth annual event, to be held on March 1 of this year, more than 13,000 elementary, middle and high schools, as well as colleges and universities from all 50 U.S. states and more than 100 countries, will celebrate the importance of ethics, honesty, peaceful conflict resolution and fair play in athletics and society. The Day will foster active discussions involving over five million students, coaches, administrators and parents on the issue of sportsmanship.

Russell Hogg, chairman of the Board of the Trustees of the Institute for International Sport said, "This has become the biggest sportsmanship initiative in the world, and its success confirms what the power of an idea can achieve."

National Sportsmanship Day was conceived to raise awareness about issues related to sportsmanship and ethics in athletics and daily life, as well as to stimulate meaningful dialogue among school administrators, coaches, teachers and students. A new feature for 2005, "Team Sportsmanship," will involve a number of high school and college "sportsmanship teams" visiting elementary and middle schools on National Sportsmanship Day to discuss sportsmanship principles. One of the highlights of National Sportsmanship Day is the USA Today Sportsmanship Essay Contest. Winning essays will be printed in USA Today. To learn more about each of the 2005 Sports Ethics Fellows, visit the National Sportsmanship Day website at: http://www.internationalsport.com/nsd/nsd.cfm, and click on the Sports Ethics Fellows icon in the navigation bar.

The Institute for International Sport was founded by Dan Doyle in 1986. Located in Kingston, Rhode Island, on the campus of the University of Rhode Island, the Institute administers more than 10 international programs that reach over 160 countries on six continents. Currently, National Sportsmanship Day, the Center for Sports Parenting, the World Leadership Summit and the Scholar-Athlete Games are the main projects the Institute has developed to help spread the message of using athletics and art as tools to promote goodwill among future world leaders. To learn more about all of the Institute's programs, visit its website at: www.internationalsport.com.

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