UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES RAMS RECOMMENDATIONS

REGINA, Sask. – The University of Regina announced Friday the results of a comprehensive examination of the community partnership between the University and the University of Regina Rams conducted by an external three-person panel in April.

The theme of the examination revolved around reinforcing the beneficial partnership between the University and the Rams. Varsity football at the University would not be possible without the financial commitment of the Rams’ Board of Directors and the program’s supporters, and the Rams could not operate at the highest level of amateur football in Canada without being associated with the University.

A “one team” approach was suggested to help strengthen the partnership, in which both parties continue to understand and appreciate their mutual interdependence with the football club becoming even more integrated within the institution and the athletic department. The “one team” approach includes a singular culture that defines accepted norms for all varsity teams – including the Rams – and involves leadership pooling resources and building synergies with all U of R coaches working together to continue to achieve excellence.

“Reviews are a normal function in the University context, and the process affords a positive opportunity to sit back and reflect on what we’ve learned from the first 15 years of this relationship,” Faculty of Kinesiology & Health Studies dean Harold Riemer said. “The goal of any review is to address future direction, and the ‘one team’ approach outlines how best to move forward to help make this outstanding partnership even stronger.”

The panel consisted of Clint Hamilton, Jim Hopson, and Dr. Jim Weese. Hamilton is the director of athletics at the University of Victoria, while Hopson is the president and CEO of the Saskatchewan Roughriders Football Club and Weese is the Faculty of Health Sciences dean at Western University.

“The review has given us great feedback from a variety of interested stakeholders that reinforces the strengths of our current processes and systems,” Rams president Dean Picton said. “Even more importantly, the review has also provided some areas of focus for us to elevate our standards and pursue excellence for our student-athletes and our football club both in the classroom and on the field. We look forward to strengthening our already strong partnership with the University of Regina and creating a ‘one team’ approach.”

To help guide both groups to adopting the “one team” approach, a total of 21 recommendations were made. The recommendations were made in five distinct categories including academic performance, athletic performance, governance, synergy, and culture.

The recommendations include broadening the academic support provided to the Rams by the University, expanding both the roster size and the geographic focus of player recruitment, inclusion of University representatives on the Rams’ Board of Directors, sustainment of the Rams nickname with the University’s brand consistently included on promotional materials, and an organizational culture consistent with the “one team” approach.