Academics & Athletics:A Winning TeamAthletic Staff Orientation, 2015

Bruce W. Clary, Vice President for Academic Affairs

Hello. I am Bruce Clary. Vice President for Academic Affairsand Professor of English

• I’m starting my 33rd year at McPherson College.

• Two sons who were student-athletes at McPherson College.

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Personal Goal Create a campus culture that recognizes the interdependence of the athletic and academic enterprises and fosters collaborative work toward out shared values and goals. 

Athletes v. Total Enrollment

0

175

350

525

700

10 Yrs Ago Now

Athletes FT Enrollment

What are the causes and effects of growth such as this? • Additional resources :: Coaches and facilities

• More sports and athletes :: Increased pressure on facilities, practices at less than optimal times

• Increased pressure to recruit and be successful :: Increased desire to get athletes on campus early and hold them for longer hours

Sport Center Perspective We’re doing what we’re being held accountable for doing:

BUILDING SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS THAT WILL ATTRACT AND RETAIN STUDENT-ATHLETES, thereby growing the college and helping it meet its enrollment goals. 

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What does this look like from the faculty perspective?

So … what do faculty sometime look like from a coach’s perspective?

So what do faculty sometime look like from the Sport Center perspective? • Anti-athletics

• Unappreciative of coaches’ and athletics’ contribution to the college’s welfare

• Unappreciative of student-athletes’ representation of the college

• Too rigid in their attendance and make-up work policies

But we all share a common goal…

How do we work together to get them here?

Relationships with faculty • Both students and coaches

• Communicate respectfully

• Events & programming

• Regularly put academics in front of student-athletes

• Coach students on classroom performance forms

• Request syllabi from student-athletes

Services • Attendance

• Study groups (on Academic Support web page)

• Tutoring

• Writing Center 7-10pm M-Th, 2-5pm Sunday

• Linda Barrett: barrettl@mcpherson.edu

• Academic support programming in dorms

bwc