Cleary University is proud to announce it is one of only five colleges in Michigan to earn a national Champion of Character Five-Star Gold Award from the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) for the 2025/2026 academic year, the highest recognition a school can receive. Cleary earned a perfect score of 100 points. This is the second consecutive year Cleary has received a national gold award. Cleary earned a silver award in 2023/2024.
The NAIA measures institutions on their demonstrated commitment to Champions of Character. Schools earn points based on five key areas:
- Character training (demonstrate NAIA’s five core values – integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership)
- Conduct in competition (no ejections during competition throughout the entire academic year, no disrespectful behavior, no dissent with officials)
- Academic focus (exceptional student athlete grade point averages)
- Character recognition (how often and well institutions recognize and celebrate student athletes who exemplify Champions of Character values)
- Character promotion (points are awarded for activities and initiatives that promote the Champions of Character mission beyond the athletic department, such as community service, leadership opportunities and outreach activities)
Schools receive a bronze, silver or gold (perfect score of 100) award based on points earned. Only NAIA athletic directors and campus character liaisons can complete a core report that determines award winners.
During the academic year of 2025 to 2026, Cleary recognized 92 student athletes who earned NAIA recognition as a sport scholar athlete for excelling academically. Players from baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s bowling, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s track and field, and men’s wrestling were honored. To qualify for the NAIA scholar athlete award, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5, appear on the eligibility certificate for their sport and have attended Cleary for at least one full year.
Established in 1940, the NAIA is a governing body for small college athletic programs in the United States, Canada and the US Virgin Islands. Its mission is to promote education-based athletics that balance academics, character development and competitive sports.
