Colonial Champions Fund

Announced April 29, 2020, the Colonial Champions Fund is dedicated to funding all aspects of the student-athlete experience, student success and student-athlete welfare and ensures more than just wins and losses. It provides RMU student-athletes with funding for their academic and career pursuits while representing Robert Morris on the field, ice or court. By investing in the most meaningful areas for student-athletes at RMU, donors can assist current and future Colonials with the necessary resources to succeed in competition, the classroom and in career preparation.

The Colonial Champions Fund is made up of six main areas:

Counseling, Mental Health & Wellness Resources

Nutrition

Sports Performance, Sports Medicine and Strength & Conditioning

Academic Support Services and Retention

Recruiting

Leadership Development and Career Preparation “ The department of athletics is committed to supporting our student-athletes, not just in times of crisis, but during every day of their athletic and academic journey. It is our duty to support our student-athletes to the best of our ability, regardless if they are in the classroom, in competition or at home navigating through a global pandemic. In order to provide the best resources available, now and in the days, weeks and years ahead, we are asking those who are able to partner with us in making an indelible impact on the lives of our Colonial student-athletes. “ Chris King Director of Athletics

MENTAL HEALTH & WELLNESS COLONIAL CHAMPIONS FUND

RMU athletics works directly with RMU’s counseling team to provide direct services for student-athletes who are experiencing symptoms consistent with diagnosable mental health disorders, to those who are seeking ways to optimize their performance in the classroom and in competition, as well as help with everyday life. The need to counsel student-athletes remotely also provides additional considerations and required resources.

NUTRITION

RMU athletics is committed to providing the best education and service to support healthy fueling habits and to prepare our student-athletes for healthy life habits post-graduation. The goal is to create student-athlete refueling stations located inside the UPMC Events Center and the RMU Island Sports Center, open for all student-athletes for grab-&-go snacks & drinks.

SPORTS PERFORMANCE

RMU athletics is committed to providing our student-athletes with the best medical care, which is evident by our partnership with UPMC as our official medical provider. Colonial student-athletes are treated by the best physicians in Pittsburgh, including full access to the UPMC medical network, along with RMU’s own sports medicine training staff. The sports performance and strength & conditioning program provides our student-athletes with well-rounded, sport specific training throughout the year that allows them to perform to their highest level.

ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES

RMU athletics is committed to the enhancement of a comprehensive athletics academic support program that promotes graduation within four years, increases departmental grade point averages, and facilitates academic progress rates (APR), while maintaining a culture of academic integrity. The department’s current academic projects consist of three major initiatives: an academic staff restructure to address student-athletes’ needs, promote retention of qualified staff, and provide for their professional development; a facilities and academic center upgrade to provide adequate office space for student-athlete academic services staff; enhancement of current technology and the addition of new technology to support student-athletes’ growth and development.

RECRUITING

The coaches in each of our 16 intercollegiate athletic programs are tasked with finding and recruiting the best and the brightest student-athletes. Over 65 percent of our 400+ student-athletes hail from outside of the state of Pennsylvania, including over 20 foreign countries. This makes it imperative that our coaches have the resources to travel and find talent anywhere in the world.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

RMU athletics is committed to providing our student-athletes with the tools and resources to succeed during their academic careers as Colonials and prepare them for life beyond college athletics. The overall goal is to create individuals who are leaders in competition and in life. Recent donor support towards leadership development and career preparation for our studentathletes led to two major initiatives for RMU athletics: the Leroy M. Ball Colonial Leadership Academy (CLA) and the Robert Morris Athlete Network.