University of Tennessee Athletic Director Emeritus and women’s sports trailblazer Joan Cronan earned the Southeastern Conference’s Michael L. Slive Distinguished Service Award. Cronan, a United States Sports Academy Trustee and Honorary Doctorate recipient, was presented the award during the SEC Championship Game on 3 December 2022 in Atlanta, Ga. The Michael L. Slive Distinguished Service Award is presented on special occasions to former student-athletes, coaches, graduates or administrators of SEC institutions or the conference office who have maintained a lifetime of interest in college athletics and who, over a significant period of time, have exhibited superior leadership qualities and made a significant impact to the betterment of the mission of the Southeastern Conference. “Having had the opportunity to work with Joan through her work as a member of our Board [...]

United States Sports Academy Dean of Undergraduate Studies Dr. Vandy Pacetti-Donelson was presented with the Association for Educational and Communications Technology (AECT) Presidential Distinguished Service Award at the AECT Annual International Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. The award is given each year for exemplary service to the association and to the field of instructional design. Pacetti-Donelson, who joined the Academy in 2018, is also co-chair of the AECT Bylaws Committee. Tasked with reviewing, revising, and making recommendations to and about the governing documents of the AECT, the committee serves to improve the bylaws, policies, and procedures of the AECT. With the support for her professional service activities, Pacetti-Donelson says she is proud to represent the Academy as part of the distance education community. “When we serve our profession, we are [...]

Known as “The Olympic Picasso,” modern artist Roald Bradstock has built a reputation for being a relentless competitor on the track and in his art studio. Bradstock will unveil his latest work “Paris 2.014/Together” in a special live event on his Instagram page, which can be followed here, on Thursday, December 1, at 11 a.m. CST. https://www.instagram.com/roaldbradstock/ The piece commemorates the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Paris, France, and is the fifth in a Bradstock series of Olympic Rings paintings. In addition to commemorating the Paris Games, the piece also recognizes the 25th anniversary of Bradstock’s first Olympic Rings painting,” Struggle for Perfection,” that launched his art career. That piece won the United States Olympic Committee/United States Sports Academy Art Competition in 1999 and was later exhibited at [...]

The United States Sports Academy is proud to welcome Randy W. Smith and Vincent Butta to its esteemed Board of Trustees. The Academy is governed by its Board of Trustees, consisting of a group of diverse professionals with specific expertise important to the formation of such an organization. Smith is a former Vice President and Senior Consultant who began his career with Merrill in 1 983. Randy obtained his BS degree from Auburn University in 1977. Randy and his team assisted clients in comprehensive wealth management, developing strategies and long-term plans for the creation and growth of wealth, protection and preservation of wealth and tax minimization strategies, seeking to plan tax advantaged distributions of wealth during life, and planning wealth distribution after death. Randy Lives in Orange Beach with his wife, [...]

American baseball player Aaron Judge and Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek were named the United States Sports Academy’s Athletes of the Month after their impressive performances on the world stage in September. Judge earned American League player of the month honors after hitting .417/.565/.869 with 10 home runs, eight doubles, 17 RBIs and 30 walks in 25 games in the month. He hit his 61st home run of the season on 28 September 2022, tying Roger Maris’ single-season AL record from 1961. Swiatek won the women’s U.S. Open championship, defeating Ons Jabur 6-2, 7-6 on 11 September 2022 in New York. It was her second major title this season and she is the first player since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win multiple majors in the same season. She is [...]