The Chattanooga Mocs received a community service boost from the Southern Conference. The league’s designation as a C.A.R.E. Champion by the Knight Commission in 2024 was followed by an investment by the SoCon into its universities’ outreach programs.
The C.A.R.E. grant is being put into action at UTC via the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC). The plan is to invest in initiatives led by the group.
“We carefully considered the best course of action with this grant,” Vice Chancellor for Athletics Mark Wharton stated.
“The consensus was to invest it in what was important to our student-athletes. This gives them a chance to put investment into action.
“We are grateful to the Knight Commission’s grant to our league, and to the conference leadership in making it available ultimately to our SAAC initiatives.”
The Knight Commission certified the SoCon as one of the nation’s first C.A.R.E. Champions by fully implementing all the C.A.R.E. Model requirements, which prioritizes the education and well-being of college athletes while integrating education-based principles in financial incentives and athletics spending.
The C.A.R.E. Model (Connecting Athletics Revenues with the Educational Model of College Sports) was created to assist conferences and national entities in bolstering accountability and ensure that both the distribution and spending of shared athletics revenue prioritize supporting college athletes’ education, health, safety, well-being, equity and opportunity. This holistic model supports the educational mission and includes four universal principles and requirements:
1. Transparency
2. Independent Oversight
3. Incentives for Core Values of Education, Gender Equity, and Opportunity
4. Financial Responsibility for Education, Health, Safety & Well-Being