(Jan. 31, 2001) — Five members of the University of Kentucky track and field were inducted into the Society of Character in a ceremony held at halftime of the UK men’s basketball game versus Vanderbilt on Saturday, January 27. Andrew VanderWagen, Temitayo Adeagbo, Jack Morgan, Matt Kavanagh and Falana Greenwell each received the honor for their untiring dedication to their sport and the community.
The Society of Character is part of the University of Kentucky’s CHAMPS / Life Skills Program. It is designed to help student-athletes realize the value of higher academic achievement, a higher level of maturity, self-responsibility and greater overall success. The Society of Character was founded in 1998 to recognize those individuals who epitomize the term “student-athlete”. Each candidate is nominated by a counselor, coach, trainer or manager and then evaluated on five criteria:
- commitment to academic excellence
- commitment to athletic participation,
- commitment to personal development,
- commitment to being a role-model, and
- commitment to preparing for the world of work.
The mission of the Society of Character is:
- to recognize student-athletes who have achieved and continue to achieve a high level in all areas of their life.
- to bring together these high achieving student-athletes for interactive programs.
- to further enhance the high achieving student-athletes’ best interests and well being
- to promote continued interaction with other organizations.
Each candidate nominated for election into the Society of Character must meet the following requirements:
- must have completed a minimum of 30 hours prior to nomination
- must have a competitive grade point average
- must demonstrate a commitment to their academic success as well as to personal development, career development and service activities.
