Ole Miss Rebel Ready/CHAMPS Life Skills Program

Mission Statement:
The mission of our Rebel Ready Program is to challenge our student-athletes to be lifelong learners while pursuing continuous improvement academically, relationally, socially, personally, and professionally during and beyond their careers as student-athletes.

Program Overview:
The Champs Life Skills Department at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) is the hub for a wide range of Ole Miss Athletics sponsored programs designed to meet the needs of student-athletes and their families. Since its inception in 1991 by the NCAA, the Champs Life Skills Program has helped provide student-athletes across the country with helpful resources to be successful on and off the playing field. At Ole Miss, our Champs Life Skills (Rebel Ready) Program is divided to into six areas:

Student-Athlete Assistance Services
Career Development
Continuing Education
Community Outreach
Financial Education
Career Transition

Student-Athlete Assistance Services
Programs have been created for student-athletes to develop and cultivate life skills in order to maximize personal and professional opportunities and minimize detrimental behaviors. Through lectures, videos, discussion groups, panels, forums, guest speakers, and current /former student-athlete player testimonies, student-athletes will have the opportunity to learn to make sound decisions about their future on and off the playing field.

Career Development
The Career Development Program has been established to provide opportunities for current student-athletes to gain exposure and experience in a variety of industries that may be of interest to them now and beyond their playing days. The program offers assistance with resume writing, interview skills, career interest assessments, business etiquette, career fairs, and placement opportunities. Internship opportunities exist at many companies. These internships provide student-athletes with opportunities to develop tangible skills that will assist them in their career exploration and decrease apprehension about their success off the field.
Student-athletes find that many of the performance skills learned from participating in sports (planning, team work, preparation, goal setting, etc.) are transferable and apply to many other career choices.

Continuing Education
The Continuing Education Program is designed to assist current and former student-athletes with the skills necessary to gain admission into graduate and professional programs of study. Additionally, the program assists student-athletes in developing a plan of action on how to best utilize their education in pursuit of career opportunities.

Community Outreach
The Community Outreach Program seeks to engage student-athletes in service to campus and surrounding communities. The program unites internal and external constituents, identifies challenges on campus and in surrounding communities, and develops best practices/solutions to improve conditions.  By engaging all stakeholders, the program will make a difference in the lives of university and surrounding communities.

Financial Education
The Financial Education Program provides student-athletes with valuable knowledge to manage their personal finances and improve financial decision-making. The program offers student-athletes resources and perspectives on the current economic environment. This program is an opportunity for student-athletes to gain knowledge about cash management, insurance, tax planning, estate planning, retirement planning, investments, and other related topics.

Career Transition
The program educates current and former student-athletes in transition (athletics to the “real world”) about the resources and opportunities available to them in their advancement to alternative careers. The Career Transition Program provides a mix of academic topics, success stories through guest speakers, and practical application. It is our goal to assess the career interest of current and former student-athletes through the Strong Interest Inventory assessment tool. Other areas such as personal finance, a realistic job preview of the transition process, personal branding, personal health and well being, and communication and networking skills are included in the curriculum.

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