Atlantic University Sport unveils new strategic direction and conference developments

Through a recent strategic planning process the AUS conference has renewed its commitment and refocused its efforts on goals that are integral to providing the ultimate student-athlete experience. These include delivering high-quality programs and events, raising the profile of its student-athletes and university sport through new digital media initiatives and building partnerships. Through improved efforts to share the complete stories of its accomplished student-athletes, the association's new focus will emphasize that its athletes are students first and foremost.

'We feel that in order to lead the country as a conference, it's no longer sufficient for us to simply facilitate athletics,' said AUS executive director Phil Currie. 'We need to take steps to help our athletes transition from freshmen, to seniors, to community leaders.' Currie summed up the ultimate goal of the new plan as the creation of an environment in which the conference's student-athletes can simultaneously learn, compete and grow.

'UPEI is a proud member of the AUS conference,' said athletic director Ron Annear. 'We were an active participant in the development of the AUS strategic plan and are very supportive of the notion of inspiring leadership to help promote this conference as ‘the ultimate student-athlete experience'. We have a truly amazing conference that is exemplified through our student-athlete leaders of today and tomorrow.'

Also on hand for the presentation was University of Prince Edward Island VP, Administration and Finance, Jackie Podger. 'UPEI looks forward to a continued strong relationship with AUS and we embark, with our sister institutions, on these strategic directions,' she said. 'We fully support the renewed focus of the AUS to provide high-quality student-athlete experiences and sport programs.'

The new strategic plan has been endorsed by such current community leaders as former premier of New Brunswick, Frank McKenna who was a multi-sport AUS athlete himself at St. Francis Xavier University from 1967-70. 'I saw [university sport] make a difference in my life, but I also saw it make a profound difference in the lives of my children,' said McKenna, now the deputy chair of TD bank. 'All three of them went to universities in Atlantic Canada, all three of them played a full spectrum of sports and I think it hugely affected their character development and made better citizens and better human beings out of them.'

One component of the strategic plan involves leading the country with tighter regulations around head injuries. '27% of eligible AUS athletes attained Academic All-Canadian status last year,' said Currie. 'Our student-athletes are students first and foremost. And for that reason, we place matters of health and safety above all else.' An AUS head injury committee comprised of four medical professionals with extensive expertise in the area of sport-related concussions, three AUS athletic directors and the conference executive director was assembled last year to give due diligence to this important issue. Because of findings and recommendations made by Dr. Sonja McVeigh MD (Halifax), Dr. Stephanie Melanson (Moncton), Dr. Jim MacLeod (Wolfville), athletic therapist Colin King and the rest of the committee, all instances of hits to the head resulting in injury will now be reviewed by the executive director.

Also unveiled today was the BecAUSe We Care campaign. This initiative has been launched conference wide as a means of recognizing the community involvement and volunteer efforts of AUS student-athletes which last year reached a total of 112 causes in the region. A combined 15,800 hours of community service were logged by the conference's many student-athlete volunteers and a total of $86,000 was raised for a vast array of charitable causes.

Other components of the plan involve efforts to enhance fan experience. Newly off the ground is the live streaming website AUStv.ca which will host broadcasts of every conference championship. The redesign of atlanticuniversitysport.com will see the addition of new web and mobile tools for both athletes and fans including the now available AUS Front Row app for iPhone and Android devices which provides up-to-date game stats and live news feeds.