DULUTH, MN – The College of St. Scholastica has been named a winner of the Jostens/NADIIIAA Community Service Award, commonly known as the Jostens Cup, for community service by its student athletes.

The national award is given by Jostens and the National Association of Division III Athletics Administrators (NADIIIAA). In addition to a commemorative trophy, the award includes a $1,000 donation to St. Scholastica’s general scholarship fund.

“Winning the Jostens Cup is like winning a NCAA Division III national championship in a sport, except this sport is community service,” St. Scholastica president Larry Goodwin said Wednesday, Jan. 17, at a campus celebration in honor of the student athletes. “Our student athletes are upholding a tradition of integrity and generosity in St. Scholastica athletics, and are setting a great example for the rest of our student body. They touch the world by giving of themselves.”

St. Scholastica Athletic Director Tony Barrett was presented the Jostens Cup at the NCAA convention in Florida on Jan. 8. The College chose to celebrate the award once the student body was back from semester break.

“Winning the Jostens Cup has been a specific goal of our department since I became Athletic Director two years ago,” Barrett said. “This is the highlight of my tenure as ‘A.D.’ I can’t express how proud I am of the student athletes.”

Gary Karner, NADIIIAA Immediate Past President, said in a statement that St. Scholastica and this year’s two other national Jostens Cup winners in other categories were selected from many nominations submitted by institutions and conferences across the country.

“Each year tens of thousands of Division III student-athletes compete and achieve athletics success on playing fields and courts across the country,” Karner said. “Despite the time demands associated with being a student and an athlete, Division III student-athletes also readily give of themselves to help others. We are proud to help gain recognition for St. Scholastica’s student athletes, who each year give back to their campus and local community and, in so doing, make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate than themselves."

In its application for the award, St. Scholastica documented the scope of its athletes’ commitment to community service.

St. Scholastica’s 280 athletes contributed over 1,700 hours of community service in the 2005-2006 academic year, through more than 20 service projects. Among the highlights:

• Athletes from 13 teams served as one-on-one mentors to area high school freshmen and sophomores;

• Members of the women’s soccer team served as pen pals to fourth graders to help develop the youths’ writing skills;

• Members of the men’s and women’s cross country teams cleaned and prepared classrooms for the start of the school year at two local schools;

• Members of the women’s and men’s basketball teams read at Nettleton School Reading Week;

• Members of the softball team wrapped gifts for the Salvation Army;

• Members of the baseball team worked at CHUM, a food shelf and the William A. Irvin Haunted Ship;

• Members of the hockey team ran a carnival fund-raiser for Lakewood School, so that parents could enjoy the event with their children rather than staff the event.

 “D-III athletics serves St. Scholastica in three ways: recruiting students, retaining them at a higher rate than non-athletes, and presenting a positive public image,” Barrett said. “Presenting a positive public image is accomplished in two ways: winning and community service.

”It is our vision that St. Scholastica student-athletes become the face of the College in the greater community,” Barrett said. “When there is a community need, I want people to think of our student-athletes as part of the solution.  We can't do everything; but we can do our share.”

Past winners of the Jostens Cup for community service include LaGrange College in 2005 and the University of Massachusetts-Boston in 2004.