Grapevine, Texas – The National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) honored Geneseo as a recipient of its NADIIIAA/Jostens Community Service Awards. Geneseo was recognized during the NADIIIAA Reception at the recent NCAA Convention.

The awards program is co-sponsored by the NADIIIAA and Jostens and is intended to recognize the contributions Division III student-athletes regularly make to their campuses and local communities. 

Geneseo was one of four institutions to receive an Award of Merit as honorable mention for community service projects performed by its student-athletes during the 2011-12 academic year. Knight student-athletes – who participate in dozens of efforts throughout the year – were recognized for their partnership to benefit Special Olympics.

"This award is an affirmation of the outstanding character of our student-athletes and their ongoing commitment to community service,” said Mike Mooney, Geneseo’s director of intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports.

Members of Geneseo’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which includes representatives from all 20 intercollegiate teams, were part of the project, which was planned in conjunction with Special Olympics’ regional director and program director. Special Olympic athletes attended Geneseo home events that were promoted as part of a contest to raise funds and awareness. The effort was promoted with on-campus publicity and an online video that included SAAC officers and Special Olympics athletes.

The designated home events featured Geneseo student-athletes greeting Special Olympians (whose biographies were displayed at the tables set up for donations); both groups interacted with fans and were introduced at halftime.

Geneseo’s efforts culminated in a men’s lacrosse home game that wound up the most well-attended and most publicly engaged event of the entire campaign. The project involved nearly 100 student-athletes and raised $1,300 for Special Olympics.

“I am continually inspired by how our student-athletes,” praised Mooney. “They are able to balance their academic and athletic demands with a genuine dedication to serving as leaders and role models through their work with projects such as the Special Olympics."