 Athletic Director Mike Thomas  |
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Dear Bearcat Nation...
At UC Athletics our focus is on winning championships and developing champions for life through our world-class academic environment. Our entrance into the BIG EAST Conference has elevated our 530 student-athletes onto the highest level of intercollegiate competition and together with you, we will fill all of our trophy cases in the soon-to-be-opened Richard E. Lindner Center.
In the coming months, I hope to use this space to update you on our competitive excellence, academic successes and our department's commitment to being an active part of the Cincinnati community, both on and off campus. We will also have a mechanism in place where you may e-mail me with any questions about UC Athletics. I will do my best to answer each question directly, but will also post the answers to some of the more repetitive questions in order that the flow of information is shared with as many folks as possible.
During my first five-months on the job here at UC, I have had the chance to meet many of you at games, social events, and even at the grocery store. The one characteristic that runs through every person I have met who has an association with the Bearcats is "PASSION". When a group of people, fans, or alumni are bound by this element, there is nothing that cannot be conceived or achieved. While the past few months has indeed been a unique time in our history, there is no question that we are moving in a positive and aggressive manner to a new dawn of achievement for UC Athletics. Where do we want to go?
This is an easy answer - The University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics is committed to winning CHAMPIONSHIPS in the BIG EAST Conference and on the national level. There is no reason to compete unless you are ready to lay out the commitment and resources to win. As the Director of Athletics I am focused on setting the vision for the Department to catapult our student-athletes and coaches to the highest level of collegiate athletics.
Can we make winning championships a priority and maintain strong academic standards?
Absolutely. ACADEMICS is a chief priority for UC Athletics, as we are a part of a great University. There is a reason why the word student comes before athlete - this is college athletics, not the minor league of professional sport. The greatest gift that a person can receive is the privilege of an education. The duty of our athletics administrative staff is to make sure that the 530 student-athletes who represent the University of Cincinnati are provided the needed financial and academic support to achieve the ultimate goal of walking across a stage and earning their diploma following their experience as a student-athlete. Some of these individuals will go on to lucrative careers in professional sport, while the majority will take on the challenges of a post-sporting life in the very competitive job market. We must prepare our student-athletes well, now and for the future. Bearcats should look after Bearcats and when that takes place, the bond of UC Athletics will transform into something much more valuable than a win on a field or court. How will we get there?
TOGETHER. It's very important not only for UC Athletics to give back to the community, but also that our student-athletes take part and learn the importance of it as well. It is important that all of Cincinnati, including every UCATS member, season ticket holder, alumnus and former student-athlete feel as if they are a major part of this athletics program, because YOU are the life blood. It's a cliché that is worth repeating, but a TEAM gets farther in competition when they play as a TEAM, not as a collection of individuals.
Over the next few months I will be communicating our Department's vision for the next five years at events around Cincinnati, regionally and nationally. I hope that you will be able to make it to one of the events where our plan is being presented and that you will come with questions. We need your participation in UC Athletics' future today, tomorrow and for the many years to come. We are on the ground floor of our Big East membership and look forward to the day where all four floors of trophy cases in the Lindner Center will be filled and the biggest item on my plate is to seek out funds for more trophy cases.
Please check UCBearcats.com and this page regularly for updated schedules on when and where our staff will be speaking over the next few months. I welcome your participation in our effort to continue to build the best Department of Athletics in the Nation! Also, we have provided a link below which allows our supporters to e-mail questions and comments. I will answer these questions directly, and where appropriate, share the answers in the column.
Go Bearcats!
Mike Thomas
Director of Athletics
