Urban Knights Honored as Volunteers

Academy of Art University athletes, known as the Urban Knights, again received the Pacific West (PacWest) Conference Community Engagement Award for their volunteer service—from health awareness to youth mentorship—in the Bay Area in 2012–2013. It was the second year that Academy Athletics was recognized by the conference.

The award acknowledges outstanding community service and projects performed by a PacWest Conference member’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. The Academy shares the 2012–2013 award with Hawaii Pacific University (for 2011–2012 the co-recipient was Dixie State University). The winners were announced at PacWest Conference meetings during the week of June 17, 2013.

Academy Athletics Director Colin Preston said the recognition demonstrates the Athletics Department’s dedication to the Bay Area community. “I want to thank the entire staff and the student-athletes for the hard work they put in during the 2012–2013 academic year, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with the organizations” that the athletes served, he said.

Academy student-athletes participated in more than 25 events this year, totaling 1155 hours of community service. Preston noted that the Athletics Department continually stresses the importance of “servant leadership” with its artist-athletes and coaching staff, all of whom during the past year showed great effort throughout the community and across the university.