INDIANAPOLIS--- Division II and the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators have selected Northern Michigan University as the 2008 winner of the Community Engagement Award of Excellence.

In addition to Northern Michigan from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, winners were selected from the other Division II conferences that submitted nominations and from the Division II independent institutions. Each winner receives a $500 grant that can be used for other community-engagement efforts.

Northern Michigan, which will be recognized at the NACMA convention in June, was selected for its Fall Sports Kick-Off that was designed to shine a light on what Northern Michigan athletics has to offer to the university campus and the Marquette, Mich., community.

More than 3,000 community members were able to access the facilities; meet the coaches, student-athletes and faculty; and share a picnic-style meal – all free of charge. The event included carnival games, face-painting, a bounce house, pony rides, fitness activities for kids, live TV and radio broadcasts, and a barbeque sponsored by a local grocer.

“The event opened a different perspective within the community about Northern Michigan athletics, and now the community residents are asking for more,” said Northern Michigan Athletics Director Ken Godfrey. “The Fall Sports Kick-Off is well on its way to becoming a tradition, and we look forward to making it an event that will continue to engage our community.”

Division II and NACMA staged the contest to build momentum for Division II’s community-engagement initiative and reward institutions for their creativity in advancing the initiative. Division II schools were encouraged to submit their best community-engagement promotion from the “ideas that work” section on the Division II community-engagement Web site (www.diicommunity.org).

Other conference winners were:

•         California Collegiate Athletic Association – Cal State Stanislaus (Henry’s March, benefiting the Children’s Craniofacial Association)

•         Central Atlantic – Philadelphia U. (Ram Madness, which collected funds for the Northern Home for Children)

•         Conference Carolinas – Coker (Taste of Coker, raising funds for the Coker Athletic Booster Club)

•         East Coast – NYIT (Night Out On The Bears, which included free physical fitness advice, games and food for children and their families)

•         Great Lakes Valley – Bellarmine (Think Pink, to raise breast-cancer awareness)

•         Great Northwest – Montana State-Billings (A Soccer Home for the Billings Community, to raise money for a community soccer field)

•         Gulf South – Arkansas Tech (National Girls and Women in Sports Day event)

•         Heartland – Dallas Baptist (Operation Christmas Child, to provide help for underprivileged children around the world)