The main responsibility of student-athletes is to perform. To remain student-athletes, they must perform competently both in the classroom and in their sport. This may be a great challenge for collegiate athletes, as they are asked to complete many tasks but with little available free time. Not understanding the unique lives of student-athletes can lead people to believe that the support systems in place for collegiate athletes are unearned privileges, rather than necessities for them to cope with relatively high demands. Whether it is practice, games, weight training, traveling, or watching film, these activities add up and can be very challenging, both physically and psychologically, and when coupled with the work presented by the general collegiate environment, may create extraordinary demands for collegiate student-athletes.

To help student-athletes counter these demands, and further develop as people, the NCAA established the CHAMPS/Life Skills Program in 1991 and introduced it to NCAA membership in 1994. Since then 407 NCAA institutions have joined the CHAMPS/Life Skills program. The program has five commitments: commitment to academic excellence, athletic excellence, personal development, career development and community service.

As an NCAA Division 1A Athletic Directors' Association CHAMPS/Life Skills Program of Excellence, The University of Tennessee continues to strive to help all student-athletes develop skills that can be utilized outside their athletic careers and upon graduation. Tennessee's CHAMPS Program begins preparing student-athletes for life after college in their first semester by enrolling them in a Life Skills course which focuses on the unique demands and responsibilities student-athletes face as they make the transition to college.

Throughout their collegiate career, student-athletes have access to the many facets of the CHAMPS Program, including encouragement to become involved in many various community service activities. Tennessee is an active participant in National Student-Athlete Day, which gives student-athletes a chance to pause from their academic and athletic endeavors to spend an afternoon giving back to the community. The CHAMPS Program also organizes workshops addressing the issues with which student-athletes are often faced. Programs on sport psychology, stress management, and financial planning are just a few of the workshops we make available to our student-athletes.

The CHAMPS Program not only focuses on student-athletes as they are in college, but at Tennessee we also provide them with the support they need to prepare for the work force and to obtain a job. We have held workshops on resume building and interviewing, and have organized an annual career fair to aid student-athletes in their career search process. We have also made great efforts to promote the dedication, work ethic, and skills of our student-athletes by creating a book of student-athlete resumes to send to companies who are part of our career network in the hopes that they will give strong consideration to hiring such talented individuals.

The University of Tennessee was awarded the Division 1A Athletic Directors' Association Program of Excellence Award in 1999. The "Program of Excellence Award" is, in essence, a lifetime award designed to recognize Division lA athletics programs that have established student-athlete welfare as the cornerstone of their operating principles. In order for a school to have its CHAMPS/Life Skills program considered as a "Program of Excellence" it must demonstrate:

• That all five components of the CHAMPS/Life Skills program are in place and that they demonstrate both substance and longevity, i.e., the program exists as a total departmental commitment and is a part of the operating principles of the athletics program.
• That goals and objectives are stated for all components, which are designed to address the needs of the student-athletes.
• The design and implementation of an athletics department mission statement that reflects a commitment to the welfare of student-athletes.
• The designation of a CHAMPS/Life Skills professional who is identifiable on a departmental organizational chart with reporting lines to the Director of Athletics. The department will demonstrate that staffing and financial support is provided in all five component areas of the CHAMPS/Life Skills program.
• The development and implementation of a marketing and promotions plan which includes promoting CHAMPS/Life Skills programs and achievements to all constituency groups.

The Program of Excellence was developed in 1997 in order to:

• Serve as an assessment tool for universities that are seeking to improve programs and services for student-athletes.
• Establish a "standard of excellence" that will serve as a model for Division lA CHAMPS/ Life Skills Programs.
• Honor universities that have made a commitment to a broad program of student-athlete support services, as defined by the Division lA CHAMPS Program.

As you can see, The University of Tennessee has a track record of proven success and strives to help all student-athletes achieve an overall commitment to excellence by fostering individual development and providing an environment of total support. We are proud of the success of our student-athletes on the field of play but are even prouder of the success many have found because of the skills they have developed with the help of the CHAMPS/Life Skills Program.