The Academy announced that President and CEO Thomas P. Rosandich, Ph.D., will receive the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor in a ceremony 10 May 2008 on the famous island in New York Harbor.

The medal is presented by NECO (formerly the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations), a nonprofit founded in 1984 to showcase Americans’ diversity as the source of their nation’s greatness and to cultivate leadership.

Since 1986 the annual medals have honored U.S. citizens of various ethnic backgrounds, in homage to the immigrant experience. Each medalist owns a remarkable résumé of personal and professional achievement benefiting others, and has furthermore acted to preserve the richness of his or her family heritage.

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC), in conjunction with the Academy, announced that Legacy 12, a music group composed of 8- to 12-year-old students at Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, Fla., has won the inaugural USOC Sport and Singing Contest.

The dozen young singers in Legacy 12 performed “I Stand Amazed,” a song reflecting the spirit of Olympism. Their performance can be viewed here.

Demonstrating its support for cultural awareness, the Academy partnered with the United States Olympic Committee in 2008 to conduct the national qualifying round of the IOC Sport and Art Contest and IOC Sport and Singing Contest. Both contests are administered by the IOC Commission for Culture and Olympic Education, a committee on which Academy President Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich serves.

San Diego artist Kadir Nelson won in the graphics category of the national Sport and Art Contest, while Pacific Grove, Calif., native Edward Eyth won in the sculpture category. Both artists will be judged against international competition on 15 May in Switzerland. The winning works will be displayed at the Beijing Olympic Games.

The Academy recently signed a protocol for cooperation with Manipal University in India. Academy Vice President Dr. T. J. Rosandich traveled to India to meet with senior officials from Manipal University, including the president, Dr. Ramdas Pai.

The protocol lays the groundwork for future students at Manipal University to take sports courses delivered online by the Academy and apply them toward Manipal University’s M.B.A. degree with emphasis in sports management or its master’s of physical therapy degree with emphasis in sports medicine.

The protocol also paves the way for the development of an articulation agreement between the Academy and university, under which Manipal University students will be able to transfer into an Academy graduate program in sports management or sports medicine or into the Academy’s bachelor’s degree program (once all general education credits have been earned).

Photo Caption : Pictured left to right are Dr. Raj Warrier (c), Vice Chancellor at Manipal University, Academy Vice President Dr. T.J. Rosandich, Academy National Faculty member Dr. Bas Nair, a former world class cricket player for India and Manipal University President Dr. Ramdas Pai.

The Academy announced that on 16 April, Worldteam, a sports management company in Beijing, China, hosted an official ceremony launching the Chinese-language version of the Academy publication The Sport Supplement.

The Sport Supplement is published quarterly online by the Academy. The journal is designed to further knowledge about issues of sport, fitness and health for professionals in these fields. To read the spring issue, visit http://sportsupplement.org.

In 2007, Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich, Academy president and CEO, met with Worldteam President Jack Guo in Beijing to integrate the international resources of the Academy and Worldteam to advance sport education, academic research and sport services in China.

Photo Caption : Academy Trustee Jack Scharr speaks at the launch of The Sport Supplement in China.

The inaugural Verona-Ghirada Team Sport Conference will be held 7–8 June 2008 in Treviso, Italy. The world-class conference will present some of the latest methods proven to improve team-sport performance. Researchers, trainers, coaches and students who work with team sports may be interested in attending. Click here to register.

“The Goal of Olympism is to place everywhere sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to encouraging the establishment of a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.”
— Olympic Charter, International Olympic Committee