BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Patriot League has been named a C.A.R.E. Champion for the second straight year, as announced by the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.
The Patriot League joins four Division I conferences, including the Metro Conference, the Southern Conference, America East and the Summit League, in qualifying for grants and recognition through the Knight Commission’s C.A.R.E. Model Conference Grant program by meeting the criteria for connecting athletics revenues with the educational model of college sports.
“The Patriot League and our membership are grateful to the Knight Commission for its continued recognition and for the work it does to spotlight the importance of education, gender equity and student-athlete well-being,” Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel said. “We are proud to maintain this status as we stay true to our mission of providing athletics opportunities that complement the educational experiences of our student-athletes.”
The Metro Conference and The Southern Conference are recognized as
C.A.R.E. Champions for a third consecutive year and each receives a $5,000 grant. The America East Conference, the Patriot League, and The Summit League continue as C.A.R.E. Champion Conferences for a second year and each receives a $10,000 grant. The financial awards recognize and support each conference’s ongoing commitment to the C.A.R.E. Model principles in the distribution and use of shared athletics revenues.
The
C.A.R.E. Model (Connecting Athletics Revenues with the Educational Model of College Sports) financial framework was created to assist conferences and national entities in bolstering accountability and ensuring that both the distribution and spending of shared athletics revenue prioritize college athletes’ education, health, safety, well-being, equity, and opportunity. This holistic model supports the educational mission and includes four universal principles and requirements:
1. Transparency
2. Independent Oversight
3. Incentives for Core Values of Education, Gender Equity, and Opportunity
4. Financial Responsibility for Education, Health, Safety, and Well-Being
“These recognitions come at a moment of significant financial change across Division I athletics,” said Amy Privette Perko, CEO of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. “Amid that change, the five C.A.R.E. Champions continue to keep education, gender equity, and student-athlete well-being at the center of how they distribute and spend shared athletics revenue, demonstrating that values-based policies can endure even as the business of college athletics evolves.”
Knight Commission Co-Chair Len Elmore emphasized that values-based decision-making isn’t a one-time commitment. “Earning this recognition once shows intent. Earning it again — and, for two of these conferences, a third time — shows that these values are embedded into how a conference operates, not just how it responds to a single grant cycle,” said Elmore. “As Division I conferences navigate evolving financial pressures, these repeat C.A.R.E. Champions show that education-centered principles can, and should, continue to shape responsible financial policy in college athletics.”
Each conference can use its C.A.R.E. Model Conference Grant to implement the principles and educate institutional leaders, staff, college athletes, and other stakeholders about how this framework positively impacts student-athletes’ experiences.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.