The Bona Promise: Transforming Lives Through Excellence, Leadership and Service

10/21/2025 10:29:00 AM

It's a great time be a Bonnie!

The excitement around St. Bonaventure University's campus is contagious.

From record-setting enrollment, to historic fundraising, to unprecedented facility enhancement, the positive momentum gripping our Bona's community is undeniable.

As administrators charged with building upon this massive momentum, we have outlined a Strategic Plan for the Athletic Department that will serve as our playbook to ensure future success.

"The Bona Promise: Transforming Lives Through Excellence, Leadership and Service" provides the path towards those riches.

The plan identifies eight Strategic Priorities over the next five years, with our Franciscan Principles and newly christened Athletic Department Mission serving as our North Star.

Our Athletic Department Mission is quite simple: We transform lives through a Student-Athlete experience rooted in Excellence, Leadership and Service.

And our Guiding Principles of Passion, Dependability, Integrity, Competitiveness and Resilience helped to inspire our eight Strategic Priorities. They also serve as guideposts along this journey to new heights. Our eight Strategic Priorities are clear and concise:

Close Alignment with University Leadership
Fiscal Responsibility
Student-Athlete Excellence
Intentional and Meaningful Engagement
Risk Management & Adaptability
Facilities & Maintenance
Talent Acquisition & Retention
Competitive Success

We believe strongly in a transformative Student-Athlete experience that transcends the world of sport. One that positions our Student-Athletes to excel academically, athletically and socially during their time here at St. Bonaventure, and one that best prepares our Student-Athletes to become leaders in all sectors of society upon graduation. We strive for Excellence, with Leadership and Service fueling those outcomes.

St. Bonaventure has a long history of exceeding expectations – both as an institution and as an Athletic Department. In this challenging and ever-changing era of intercollegiate Athletics, we can only achieve true greatness with the assistance of our entire Bona Nation. Great opportunity to build a lasting legacy lies before us, but we need all members of our community to band together like only Bonnies can.

There is nothing more powerful than Bonnies helping Bonnies. Once a Bonnie, Always a Bonnie.

Thanks for your continued support. More than ever, NOW is the time to help us transform lives through a student-athlete experience rooted in Excellence, Leadership and Service.

Go Bonnies!!

Bob Beretta
Vice President and Director of Athletics

MISSION & GUIDING VALUES

ST. BONAVENTURE UNIVERSITY MISSION

• St. Bonaventure is a Catholic university dedicated to educational excellence as informed by our Franciscan and liberal arts traditions. In the words of our patron, we believe that there should be “no knowledge without love,” and thus seek to transform the lives of our students, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship.

• St. Bonaventure embraces students, faculty and staff of all faiths and cultures and strives to bring out the best in every individual through meaningful relationships. As an academic and spiritual community, we endeavor to prepare our students for the challenges they will face in their professional careers and personal lives.

ST. BONAVENTURE UNIVERSITY VALUES

• Our Franciscan COMMUNITY affirms the unique dignity of everyone, each person reflecting the goodness of God, and invites all of our sisters and brothers to forge bonds of mutual acceptance and understanding that create a true sense of belonging.

WE ARE A COMMUNITY

Nuturing COMPASSION
Seeking WISDOM
Building INTEGRITY

COMPASSION
WISDOM
INTEGRITY

• We are convinced that all of creation is God’s gift, an awareness that calls forth a sense of solidarity with everyone and everything

• As images of God, we strive to share God’s unconditional love, particularly with those on the margins of society — the needy, the ignored, and the excluded

• We are convinced that education must be transformative of the whole person, concerned not only with the intellect, but also with the will, the heart, and the body

• Education must be eminently practical, not just about learning concepts and skills, but discerning how to truly live humanly, deeply, and well in the world

• We are convinced that each of us must accept responsibility for our actions and that our relationships should be based on respect for the dignity of others, honesty, and transparency, realizing that the values we espouse mean little unless they are embodied in our personal and professional lives

ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT MISSION

We transform lives through a Student-Athlete experience rooted in excellence, leadership and service

Supporting Statements

• We guide and support our Student-Athletes in their quest for excellence in body, mind, and spirit
• We cultivate lifelong relationships with our Student-Athletes and engage our St. Bonaventure Community in meaningful ways
• We treat ourselves and others with dignity, kindness, and respect. We believe there is no knowledge without love
• We foster a culture of excellence and maximize athletic potential
• We establish our programs as regionally successful and consistently competitive within the Atlantic 10 Conference

ST. BONAVENTURE ATHLETICS GUIDING PRINCIPLES

PASSION
DEPENDABILITY
INTEGRITY
COMPETITIVENESS
RESILIENCE

We bring a positive energy, optimistic outlook and service-driven spirit to everything we do

We feature accountability through consistency

We know that doing what is right isn't a choice, it's the standard

We possess relentless ambition to be the best we can be

We display an unwavering pursuit of excellence in the face of adversity

OPERATIONAL PRIORITIES 2025-2030

Maintain Deep Commitment to our Franciscan Principles
Presidential Leadership and Control of Athletics
Implement and Maintain Strategic Plan
Develop Short- and Long-Term Operational Planning
Align Standards and Goals for all Units and Sport Programs
Support St. Bonaventure University's New Strategic Plan
Partner with University Finance/Chief Financial Officer
Identify & Pursue New Revenue Streams
Efficiently Manage & Allocate Financial Resources
Execute Effective Organizational Structure & Staffing Plan
Establish Proper Funding Model for Student-Athlete Well-Being & Travel
Provide Fiscal Education & Accountability Measures
Establish Conduct Expectations of Student-Athletes & Onboarding
Enhance Student-Athlete Development
Sports Medicine Guardianship
Academic Success & Service
Well-Being & Mental Health
Athletic Performance
Cultivate Strong Alumni Relations
Broaden Digital Communication Presence/Strategic Communication Objectives
Expand Corporate Partnerships
Athletics Development
Athletics Marketing
Fortify Community & Campus Engagement
Review & Assess Liabilities in the Sports Performance Units
Strengthen Relationships with University General Counsel
Continued Review of Title IX Equity in Changing Athletics Landscape
Ensure NCAA Compliance Adherence from all Staff
Provide Regular Title IX Education (Hazing, Stalking, Date Violence, etc.)
Monitor/Navigate International Student-Athlete Issues (Visa Status, Immigration)
Develop Facilities Master Plan
Develop Facilities Maintenance Plan
Renovation Projects
Capital Projects
Rebranding of Athletics Facilities
Assess Infrastructure, Safety Needs & Opportunities for Facility Growth, Renovation & Expansion
Utilize Best Practices for Hiring Coaches & Staff
Provide Opportunities for Coaches & Staff Development
Coaches & Staff Retention
Emphasize Student-Athlete Recruiting Support
Utilize Consistent & Key Messaging to Recruits Regarding ROI of St. Bonaventure
Student-Athlete Retention
Define Standards & Goals for all Units & Sports Programs
Establish Competitive Expectations of Student-Athletes
Establish Expectations of Sport Administrators
Establish Expectations of Head Coaches
Celebrate Team & Individual Success
Comprehensive Reporting for all Programs/Units