KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Stillman College has been named an NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star Silver Award winner for 2024-2035, the national office announced.. It is Stillman's fifth Champions of Character Five-Star recognition in the last six years. The athletic department earned Gold for the first time in 2023-24, Silver in 2021-2022 and Bronze in 2019-2020 and 2022-2023. 

Each year, the NAIA presents the awards to member institutions based on their Champions of Character scorecard, which includes points for character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion. Institutions also earn points based on exceptional student-athlete grade point averages and by having minimal to no ejections during competition throughout the course of the academic year. There were 210 awards presented for 2024-2025, accounting for at least 60 percent of the NAIA membership. Silver awards accounted for 60 of the institutions selected. 

Stillman College is one of 10 members from the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) to earn the Five-Star honor. Dillard University, Rust College, Southern University at New Orleans, Voorhees University all earned the Gold Award. Talladega College, Tougaloo College, University of the Virgin Islands, and Wilberforce University all earned Silver. Philander Smith University earned the Bronze Award. The HBCUAC was also named a Five-Star Conference, with 10 of 13 members receiving Five-Star Awards.