Head Volleyball Coach Beth Wilmeth ’02 joined an elite “team” on September 22 in Indianapolis, Ind., invited as a panelist in a discussion about civility, sportsmanship and competition in athletics.

The event took place at a private luncheon sponsored by the Indiana Humanities Council and several Indiana sports organizations, and was part of the American Civility Tour with Former U.S. Representative Jim Leach (Iowa), chair of the National Endowment for Humanities.

Panel members discussed going beyond competition, and cultivating and maintaining a team that has a reputation of aspiring to higher ideals.

In addition to Leach and Wilmeth, the panel included:

• Bill Polian, president of the Indianapolis Colts
• Bernard Franklin, executive vice president for the NCAA
• Clark Kellogg, vice president of player relations for the Indiana Pacers (moderator)

A September 28 blog entry on the Indiana Humanities Council’s website included this comment in the post about the panel discussion:

“Dr. Franklin then discussed his idea of the ‘classroom beyond,’ the notion that high school and particularly collegiate sports systems have a responsibility to help their players develop emotional, as well as athletic, skills and values. Civility, he argued, is an expression of one’s values: sportsmanship and respect for the other, whatever the field, are the core values that drive civil life.”

Wilmeth noted during the discussion that integrity and character are appropriately higher goals than winning, and shared how the NWC volleyball team’s honor call commitment has led to team members pursuing greater integrity in their academic and personal lives as well.