Athletic Department Philosophy

The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics operates within the institution's mission statement and the NCAA rules and regulations of fair play and amateurism. At Southern Utah University, student-athletes are provided with the opportunity and are required to progress toward completion of the degree of their choice while concurrently developing athletic abilities in an environment consistent with high standards of academic scholarship, sportsmanship, leadership, and institutional loyalty. The intercollegiate athlete representing SUU is thus a bona fide student and amateur competition.

Further, it is recognized that a viable, academically and professionally sound intercollegiate athletic program is made up of these components:

1. The Athletic Department is an important component of a comprehensive state institution dedicated to the service of a broad range of student, faculty, and public interests.
2. Develops character, maturity, and a sense of fair playas well as athletic excellence.
3. Engenders the community support for the institution at the legislative, state, and local levels.
4. Fosters pride in the University among faculty, students, and citizens of Utah
5. Generates revenues to support, at least in part, intercollegiate teams and athletes in those sports that are not financially self-sufficient.
6. Abides by the letter and spirit of the law requiring non discrimination on the basis of sex, race, creed, or national origin.