INDIANAPOLIS – Mount Mary Athletics announced Faculty Athletic Representative Mary Fletcher has been selected to partake in NCAA New FAR Orientation as a member of the 2020-21 cohort.

"I am very excited to learn more about how I can use my role as Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) to enhance the experience of our student-athletes at Mount Mary University," Fletcher said. "Studies show that student-athletes at the Division III level are retained and achieve success a higher rate than non-athletes. I am honored to contribute to Mount Mary's commitment to the development of the whole person—and this is an important piece of the puzzle."

The 2020-21 NCAA Division III New FAR Orientation will be held virtually Thursday-Saturday, February 18-20. The biannual event is conducted in conjunction with the Faculty Athletic Representative Association's (FARA) Annual meeting. Participants complete a series of pre-work modules, and attend a welcome session the evening before the start of the FARA Annual meeting. There are facilitated debrief sessions each day of the FARA Annual meeting, and the program concludes with a workshop on the last day of the Annual meeting.

The purpose of the conference is to understand and prioritize the duties inherent to the FAR position; understand the Division III model of athletics; create an action plan based on concepts learned at the annual meeting; develop a network of FARs and establish mentor-mentee relationships; become familiar with the Division III governance and legislative process; and become familiar with important bylaws for FARs, what to do if something goes wrong, and what resources are available to learn the rules.

Fletcher is in her second full year as MMU Faculty Athletic Representative, having taken over the role in late 2019.