The best of both worlds in college athletics

Elon’s women’s softball team studied in Japan in fall 2015.

For the past two years I have had the privilege of serving as the Colonial Athletic Association’s representative on the NCAA Division I Presidential Forum, comprised entirely of university presidents representing each of the 32 Division I athletic conferences. Of late, we have been engaged in an extensive conversation about what the “optimal state” of Division I athletics should be and what principles should guide institutions so that the range of student-athlete experiences—prior to college, in college and after college—have the well-being and academic and career success of student-athletes foremost in mind.

If there is a single statistic that points to a major disconnect in college athletics today, it is that 73 percent of Division I men’s college basketball players expect to play professionally, while only 2 percent reach this elite rank. The central truth for college athletics remains this: the overwhelming percentage of NCAA athletes in every sport should focus their collegiate experience on becoming professionals in medicine, teaching, business, law, health professions, the arts, journalism and dozens of other fields. Only the tiniest fraction of collegiate athletes become professionals in their sports. Therefore, it is the highest ethical obligation of universities to help student-athletes develop realistic expectations for their careers and make good choices in college about curricular and co-curricular experiences that will lead to successful and meaningful lives beyond the world of athletics. When institutions fail on this important ethical obligation, scandal usually follows, as we have seen too often on the national stage.

Elon is a nationally recognized leader in high-impact practices (HIPs) in undergraduate education. HIPs are usually defined by programs such as study abroad, undergraduate research, writing in the disciplines, internships and senior capstone courses. Often it is the close mentoring a student is afforded in these experiences that makes them transformational to students’ lives. College athletics is a high-impact learning experience as well. Student-athletes learn profound lessons in leadership, determination, grit, resiliency and teamwork, as well as skills in time management and goal setting. This is why student-athletes are often in demand by employers; the so-called “soft skills” cultivated through athletics are already well-ingrained in a disciplined athlete.

Our plan at Elon is to bring together the best of both worlds. Under the leadership of Athletics Director Dave Blank, Provost Steven House and faculty and staff who oversee the university’s experiential learning programs, Elon has taken a leadership position within collegiate athletics to ensure that our student-athletes’ academic careers are rich in exposure to the high-impact practices available to the student body as a whole. Yes, the combination of academic schedules and practice and playing schedules is already demanding. But with careful attention, planning and the commitment of the coaching staffs, Elon is paying attention to ensure that our student-athletes’ collegiate careers are as enriching and challenging as possible. We have already made a commitment as an institution that every student-athlete will have a global engagement experience while at Elon. And through collaboration between the athletics department and academic partners across campus, we encourage each of our student-athletes to take advantage of as many high-impact learning experiences as possible. For example, in an age when a significant share of students are obtaining their first employment through internships, we need to ensure that great internship opportunities can be integrated into the busy schedules of student-athletes.

I believe this strategy will help Elon define a distinctive place within the world of Division I, one that will help us draw student-athletes to our institution who are attracted to our commitment to excellence in experiential
and engaged learning.

Among the keys to making this all work are coaches who see themselves first and foremost as educators and shapers of leaders. I am extraordinarily proud of our coaching staff for their commitment to student success in all of their intellectual and athletic endeavors.

Leo M. Lambert
President

Download a PDF version of this article.