Academic Center for Student Athletes 

Introduction
The following report is the result of a series of meetings convened to look at the future of the Academic Center for Student Athletes (ACSA) and to put together a strategic plan for the unit. The committee was made up of students, coaches, and employees of the Academic Center.

Section 1: Unit Mission
Our first task was to examine the mission statement of the unit and the university. It was determined by the committee that the following mission statement is, in fact, in concert with the university’s mission and accurately describes ACSA’s mission.

Through our preliminary brainstorming sessions we listed all of the current services provided by ACSA. In defining our priorities, we grouped the services we provide to determine how to best use any resources available to the center. Although, some of the activities in our initial planning were determined to be of medium or of low importance and are not listed, we believe they would be inherent in meeting the goals of our plan.

Our highest priorities in no particular order are as follows:

In order to meet our goal of improving our facilities, our discussion led us in two directions. The first would be a more realistic vision of the future, one that could be accomplished with fewer changes and less university-wide implications. The second is more of an ideal vision of a campus-wide learning center, which would necessitate almost a complete revision of the university structure including physical changes. Both plans would increase the accessibility to the center. Currently, over one-third of student-athletes without any requirements, utilize the academic center on a weekly basis and our ability to provide services is limited by our space.

Plan A: Find a new space on campus or make changes in our current area. In order for the center to continue to improve and to meet the goals we’ve set forth we need to find a space on campus that gives us room to expand. The space would have to include separate areas for group work as well as more space and more access to computers or computer ports. The use of wireless technology could also be an option to address some of our issues. The space we now occupy was also not designed for its current use. Questions about air quality and poor circulation, insufficient electrical wiring, as well as the aforementioned space limitations make it a very limiting factor in our ability to serve our student-athletes.

Plan B: Build a campus-wide Center for Learning, which would also house ACSA. Just as the existing Student Center is the center for social and community life, the Center for Learning would be the center for the support of all academic issues. The Center for Learning would house a center for athletes similar to the one described in Plan A, but would also have a writing center, math center, learning and advising centers, center for international students, EOP students, and all support programs for students at the university. This plan would integrate all of the students in the university, and would facilitate communication amongst the support units on campus.

In addressing the issue of personnel, there needs to be enough money budgeted to hire tutors/graduate assistance and to fully fund the Student-Athlete Academic Mentor Program. The mentoring program has become an integral part of our success in creating a culture in which student-athletes value education and they have become models for first year students to emulate. Another full-time employee in ACSA (assistant director/counselor) would lead to more consistent staffing and better service to student-athletes. With most of our employees being University Assistants, the turnover is great as many leave for full-time jobs with benefits. In addition, this position could address many of the life-skills programs that are required by the NCAA.

In the center, maintaining current policies and having the full support of the athletic department and all coaches in requiring their athletes to follow them would create more uniformity of expectations for all student-athletes (understanding that at times different teams have different needs.)

Communication would seem to require very little in the way of fiscal resources, but rather, could be solved with changes in the university structure, methods of communication, and policies. Plan B would definitely create a structure that would enhance communication just through proximity.

Other issues that consistently create difficulty for student-athletes to meet their dual responsibilities are the many time conflicts that arise throughout the year. Some remedies could include more sections of courses being offered during morning hours to help reduce the conflicts for many student-athletes. When a mandatory course is only offered once in the middle of the day, it forces the student-athlete into a frustrating position. Also, written policies for excused absences for any service to the university would greatly reduce the ambiguity that now exists, in terms of scheduling conflicts.

Finally, it is up to all of us to try to create a greater understanding and awareness of the positive contributions our student-athletes make to the university, both through their participation in their chosen sport and their pursuit of their chosen degree program. Student-athletes are challenged in their orientation session each year to prove to their faculty by being responsible students that they are here for their education. It is also up to ACSA to help educate the university community that their participation in intercollegiate athletics is, in fact, a part of their education as well. It is essential that others agree with the assertions in our mission that, "we believe that academic development and academic success are mutually compatible."

Committee Members:
Jonah Cohen, Director
Sam Aliano, Team Advisor
Maribel Torres, Team Advisor
Mick D’Arcy, Women’s Soccer Coach
Laura Duncan, Student Athlete Academic Mentor, Women’s Soccer
Michael Jannitto, Student Athlete Academic Mentor, Men’s Track
Daniel Tarnowski, Men’s Baseball
Samantha Williams, Women’s Basketball

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