Syracuse, N.Y. – Le Moyne College Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics Matt Bassett has accepted an invitation on behalf of the College to attend "Sport at the Service of Humanity," the first global conference on faith and sport.
 
The conference, which will take place at The Vatican from Oct. 5 to 7, 2016, is described as "a gathering of global leaders and influencers from the world of faith, sport, business and other relevant organizations - to discuss, in partnership, the interconnectedness of Faith and Sport and to explore the scope of limits of the combinations." The invitation to participate came with the blessings of Pope Francis.

The three-day summit will include an Opening Ceremony scheduled on Wednesday, October 5 at Paul VI Audience Hall, which is located in Vatican City. Named after Pope Paul VI, it has a seating capacity of 6,300 designed in reinforced concrete by Italian Architect Pier Luigi Nervi and completed in 1971. The Conference proper scheduled on Thursday and Friday will be held at Synod Hall, which is located on the second floor of the east end of Paul VI Audience Hall.
 
"I am extremely humbled and honored to have received this invitation on behalf of the College and the athletic community I represent," said Bassett. "I believe the spirit and intent of this conference aligns perfectly with what we have developed here at Le Moyne as our 'Inside the L' program is a highly distinctive and intentional-values driven culture that is deeply rooted in the 500-year old traditions of Jesuit, Catholic education. We aspire to live and to share those values as a community, through athletics each and every day."

Under Bassett's leadership, the Le Moyne athletic community in 2011 began considering the question, 'What does a distinctly Jesuit intercollegiate athletic experience mean and what does it look like in action?'. In the fall of 2013, the department formally partnered with Dr. Matt Davidson from the Institute for Excellence and Ethics to enhance the materials and tools used to assess program outcomes.

"Matt and his team have played a critical role in the success of our program," added Bassett. "He is now fully embraced as a member of our Dolphin family."
 
"As a Jesuit institution, we seek to develop men and women for others, who are committed to social justice and service for the greater good," said David McCallum S.J., vice president for mission integration and development at Le Moyne. "Under Matt's leadership, those involved with athletics at Le Moyne - from students to coaches to administrators - are dedicated to living the Jesuit mission through their actions, words and deeds." 
 
According to the website for the summit:
"Faith is perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of humankind – the belief that we exist and function for a purpose; and that we can live in a way that enhances not only our lives, but also the lives of those around us. Sport, in its simplest form, is one of the most extraordinary of human activities. Sport imposes rules that point to a fair contest, equal opportunities for all, entertainment and enjoyment, and provides participants with the opportunity to stretch their physical and mental limits, share common values and experiences. With all the challenges and issues currently impacting both Faith and Sport today, it is timely and necessary for Faith and Sport to remind and re-awaken people to the massive power for good that these two pillars of human life can provide."
 
Bassett has been at Le Moyne since 2007, when he became only the third director of athletics in the College's history. During Bassett's tenure the College has added five new intercollegiate athletic programs for a current total of 21 varsity programs along with the creation and development of the now internationally-recognized 'Inside the L' program. He also spearheaded a facility expansion and modernization initiative that resulted in the development of a  $3.2 million turf complex, new team rooms for all women's sports, an athletic strength and conditioning facility, a newly-created state-of-the-art softball complex and a renovation to the Henninger Athletic Center. 
 
Launched in 2011, the guiding principles of Inside the L are:

• Excellence with integrity
• Tough love and total care of each person in mind, body and spirit;
• Leadership, service and love of neighbor -- everywhere, all the time;
• Spiritual beings who seek and embrace the sacred; and
• Transformational love and a commitment to be the change.