Author: Tami Cutler

The American Conference officially launched a dynamic modernization of its brand identity, marking a new era for the league and the communities it serves. Each aspect of the brand evolution, from naming conventions to creative assets and applications, was designed to elevate how the American shows up: boldly, consistently and with purpose across every platform.

“The American has built a brand that differentiates us in a crowded collegiate landscape by establishing and elevating what makes us distinctive,” said Commissioner Tim Pernetti. “This modernization is rooted in who we are and where we’re headed. It prioritizes clarity, momentum, and the competitive advantage driving every part of our conference forward.”

The announcement comes ahead of the conference’s Football Media Days and represents a strategic and holistic approach. Here is what is new:

A clear name

The conference has retired the names “American Athletic Conference” and “AAC.” The league will now be referred to as “American Conference” on first reference and simply “American” thereafter.

Rally call

The league has a new tagline, “Built to Rise,” which is resilient by design, purpose-driven in action and constantly innovating across collegiate athletics.

Grounded in a clear brand ethos and core pillars

The American is now guided by a focused brand ethos with a new mission, vision, and purpose, and powered by three core pillars: Innovation, Grit and Service.

A bold new visual identity

A new wordmark logo reflects the conference’s legacy and progression, starting with the iconic primary angular mark “A,” which now leads the word “American.”

Soar the Eagle: A first-of-its-kind conference brand ambassador

The American is the first collegiate conference to have a full-fledged brand ambassador. Soar is a multi-platform, purpose-driven brand symbol and commercialized IP, one that personifies the DNA of the American.

Built to rise: A national PSA

The conference will unveil a high-impact, 30-second national PSA titled “Built to Rise.” The national spot is voiced by Commissioner Pernetti.

Revitalized digital experience

From a reimagined website to dynamic content and social media, the conference’s digital presence has been revitalized, streamlined and tailored to reflect its brand ethos and DNA, built to connect, engage and serve its fans.

Armchair Strategies is a community collective founded to create an avenue for Wichita State student-athletes to partner with local businesses and organizations on Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) activity, an activity that student-athletes were unable to do until recently. This gives WSU student-athletes the opportunity to make positive contributions to the Shocker fan base and local community, all while receiving compensation.

Through Armchair Strategies, fans are able to cultivate and facilitate opportunities for Shocker student-athletes, giving them a platform, resources and support to be successful in growing through college and beyond. Funds ensure Armchair can provide financial literacy and education, brand setup, management, secure transactions and career development for these talented college athletes.

Armchair will roll out a variety of ways to get involved. With a small monthly contribution, any Shocker fan can join the Armchair Army and receive exclusive monthly perks to support Wichita State student-athletes. Another option is the Century Club, which is an exclusive group of 100 supporters that have each committed to donate $1,000 per month to a fund used for NIL opportunities. Benefits of The Century Club include partner listing on website, annual event with athletes, membership book for networking and more.

For more information on Armchair Strategies and how you can support Shocker student-athletes, visit  www.armchairstrategies.com or contact Tyler Weber at tyler@armchairstrategies.com or Tymber Lee at tymber@armchairstrategies.com.

For more information on Wichita State’s approach to NIL visit www.GoShockers.com/NIL.

It is with great enthusiasm, energy and humble gratitude that I write to you, the community of Wichita, on behalf of Wichita State University and Shocker Athletics. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to connect with hundreds of passionate Shocker Athletics fans, generous supporters and campus/community partners. Within our conversations, you have consistently asked, “How can we support Shocker Athletics and Shocker student-athletes in this new era of collegiate athletics?”

We are listening and we hear you. As a result, I want to dedicate this first mass communication to providing comprehensive answers to your questions.

In addition to historical giving pathways (i.e. Shocker Athletic Scholarship Organization (SASO), restricted, unrestricted, facility master plan, etc.), recent emergence of “name, image and likeness” (NIL) and “Alston Academic Payments” have increased and diversified available pathways for supporting Shocker Athletics and Shocker student-athletes. I am excited to share more information with you, as we collectively navigate our new environment. In order to provide the best possible clarity, please allow me to take a brief look back, in order to set the context for today’s environment.

Please visit https://GoShockers.com/NIL for the complete letter and more information on Name, Image and Likeness at Wichita State.

Sincerely,

Kevin Saal

Director of Athletics

Each year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA honored selected Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multi-year NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR). The academic recognition honors recognize those teams that posted multiyear APRs in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 NCAA APR release will not include public recognition awards, APR penalties or loss of access to post-season competition as these elements remain suspended through Spring 2023. The 2022 release will only include the public version of the APR and aggregate data for all Division I institutions.

The four-year APR scores for all of WSU’s 13 sports programs registered a 942 or above to be in good standing established by the NCAA’s standards. Eleven of 13 programs registered a score of 970 or higher. A program is in good standing if it registers a multi-year rate of 930 or above. A team must achieve a 930 four-year rate in order to be eligible for competition in NCAA post-season play.

The APR provides a real-time look at a team’s success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team’s academic performance. The most recent multi-year APRs are based on scores from the 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years.

The only student-athletes that figure into a team and institution’s APR are those receiving athletic financial aid. A student-athlete receiving athletic financial aid has the opportunity to earn two points each semester – an eligibility point and a retention point. Thus, a student-athlete has the opportunity to earn up to four points each academic year for his/her team and institution. An institution can be discounted the retention point if a student-athlete transfers to another 4-year institution and leaves Wichita State academically eligible or if a student-athlete transfers to a 2-year institution and leaves Wichita State with a 3.30 or higher cumulative GPA.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Wichita State University received one APR Public Recognition Awards for the 2018-19 academic year – men’s tennis. It was the second consecutive year for the men’s tennis team to win an APR recognition award. The Volleyball team previously received seven consecutive APR Public Recognition awards – 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15.

The Women’s Golf team received four consecutive APR Public Recognition awards – 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16. The Men’s Cross Country team won an APR Public Recognition award in 2013-14 and women’s cross country in 2015-16. The Men’s Golf team won public recognition awards in 2010-11 and 2017-18 while the Women’s Tennis team received a Public Recognition Award in 2010-11.