Grand Valley Magazine - (Page 9)
AT H L E T I C S
Center prepares Lakers for life beyond sports
by Michele Coffill
J
ust as Laker student-athletes are
well prepared for competitions, the
services and resources provided by the
advising center prepare them well for
the classroom.
But the Laker Academic Success
Center, in the Fieldhouse, does more
Student-athletes Jamie Potts and Alexandria
Dudley prepare for classes by participating
in weekly study sessions with tutors from
the Student Academic Success Center. Tutor
Katelynn Krause is seated at right.
photo by Jeff Dykehouse
than provide Grand Valley's 550 studentathletes with advising services, it
prepares them for leadership roles.
"I tell them, you may play sports
here, but that's a small portion of what
you're going to do with yourself after
graduation," said Damon Arnold, director
of student services for Laker academics.
Arnold said from the first time he
meets with high school recruits through
the time they graduate, he preaches one
mantra, "Let's work smarter, not harder."
To accomplish that, Arnold and his
staff members organize mandatory
study tables, host service-learning
opportunities and work closely with
coaches and faculty members to
ensure student-athletes are successful
academically.
In December, the center earned
certification from the National
Association for Academic Advisors in
Athletics for its support of studentathletes. Grand Valley was the
first NCAA Division II institution to
achieve this certification. The
university's Student Academic
Success Center (SASC) also
received certification from the
College Reading and Learning
Association's International Tutor
Training Program.
Arnold said the university
deserves the credit for the
certification. "We received
the certification because
of the good things Grand
Valley is doing as a whole. We
wouldn't have received this
without the resources here
and the commitment of faculty
members," he said.
The university's SASC serves
as an umbrella for the Laker
Academic Success Center.
Michael Messner, director of
SASC, said that type of reporting
structure is somewhat unusual
for Division I or Division II
institutions.
"It works well at Grand Valley
because we see participating in varsity
athletics as part of our overall academic
mission," Messner said.
Outside the classroom, the Laker
Academic Success Center provides
service-learning opportunities for
student-athletes. Athletes Who Care
is a partnership with Grand Valley's
Charter Schools Office. Student-athletes
volunteer their time weekly to mentor
students at one of the middle schools
that is authorized by Grand Valley.
For the hundreds of participating
AWC-mentored students, each
semester culminates with a campus tour,
workshops with student-athletes and
attendance at a Laker athletic event. The
Charter Schools Office provides a grant
to cover expenses.
Arnold also established a Faculty
Mentorship Program that connects
student-athletes with a faculty member
in their major for regular meetings,
whether it's an office visit or informal
chat over coffee.
A relatively new initiative helps
student-athletes and other students
build leadership skills. Tim Selgo,
director of athletics, had an idea to host
a leadership retreat for student-athletes
and general students. To apply for the
Laker Leadership Development Program,
students are first nominated by a coach
or faculty member. Thanks to generous
donors, the students travel to an
off-campus site for two days of
leadership development.
These opportunities help prepare
well-rounded and busy students, Arnold
said. He added that research suggests
that college students who are involved
in athletics or other extra-curricular
activities tend to be more successful than
those who are not.
It builds on another of Arnold's
mantras. "Ninety-nine percent of
student-athletes will go pro in something
else aside from sports," he said. "We help
them get there."
SMART LAKERS
earned a 3.0 or
higher GPA
in the winter 2013
semester.
Women's Cross
Country named
Division II Scholar
Team of the Year,
third time in last
four years, by the
U.S. Track and
Field Cross
Country Coaches
Association.
Men's and
women's
tennis teams
carry the highest
GPAs of Laker
teams.
9
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Grand Valley Magazine
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Grand Valley Magazine
Table of Contents
Campus News
Athletics
Donor Impact
Art of the Possible
One Book Carries Discussions Beyond Classroom
One Million Hours
Power Trio Turns Ideas Into Companies
Research
Q&A Renee Freeman
Off the Path
Sustainability
Focal Point
Arts
Alumni News
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