Utica President Dr. Todd Hutton Named Sports Ethics Fellow
March 1, 2005
For Release: March 1, 2005 Contact: Jon Peachey
Phone: (401) 874-2375
Kingston, RI, March 1, 2005 - The Institute for International Sport proudly announces that Dr. Todd S. Hutton, President of Utica College and the Empire 8 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 Hutton, 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; Roger Ingles, Interim Director of Athletics and Head Baseball Coach at Ohio Wesleyan University (OH); Dr. Gary Karner, Commissioner of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; 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.'"
As President of Utica College, Hutton has maintained a distinct balance between athletics and academics for the student-athletes, and instilled a sense of fairness among the entire College community. Hutton's leadership and guidance have also driven the development of innovative programs such as UC's faculty mentor/friend and cultural event initiatives.
The faculty mentoring/friend program, which operates under the guidance and leadership of Arlene Lundquist, associate professor of psychology and faculty representative to the NCAA, pairs a faculty member, who serves as a mentor/friend, with each of the College's 19 athletic programs. The underlying goal of the mentoring program is to allow student-athletes, coaches and faculty to develop a better understanding of each other's role within the College community and to benefit from their diverse perspectives. The cultural event initiative integrates student-athletes on campus and engages them in the local community. The program requires all student-athletes to participate in a minimum of two cultural or leadership activities each academic year, either within the community or on campus. In addition Dr. Hutton was instrumental in the development of a Utica College Athletics recruiting host code of ethics which outlines appropriate behavior of student hosts when perspective student-athletes visit campus.
As President of Empire 8, Dr. Hutton has played a key role in the development of various sportsmanship policies and educational efforts. Some of these highlights include the implementation of an Empire 8 Ejection Policy, Game Administration policies, creation of a sportsmanship slogan and logo (Empire 8: Competing with Honor and Integrity), and the conference's latest sportsmanship recognition effort including a Sportsperson of the Week program.
"Dr. Hutton has clearly displayed a commitment to improving sportsmanship and high ethical standards in his campus community and the Empire 8," said Mitrano. "The way he has integrated athletics into the Utica College community is admirable and something for all institutions of higher education to aspire to. His influence and leadership have enriched and enlightened the experiences of many student-athletes, administrators and faculty members at Utica College and in the Empire 8."
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.