LSU Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes Annual Report 2014-2015

2014-2015

ANNUAL REPORT ENTER TO LEARN, LEAVE TO SERVE

SUCCESS HAPPENS BY DESIGN. IT IS NOT ACCIDENTAL. KENNETH O. MILES

The above quote epitomizes the year 2014-2015. It was a year of transforming lives: academically, cognitively, personally, and professionally. This annual report is a tribute to highlighting many of our accolades that illustrate our success.

It is an honor and privilege to serve as the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Executive Director of the Cox Communications Academic Center for StudentAthletes at Louisiana State University. This has truly been a remarkable year. Our graduation success rate for all of our student-athletes has been on an upward trend for the past seven years with an historical rate of 81% for years 2013 and 2014. This is the second year that we have honored our Fall semester 3.0 and higher grade point average student-athletes during a basketball game and our Spring 3.0 and higher grade point average student-athletes were honored during a home football game. All of our varsity teams exceeded the minimum academic performance rate of 935; 18 out of 19 sports have minimum multiyear scores of 957; three teams boast a perfect score of 1000; and eight teams received a perfect score of 1000 for the single year. We have volunteered more than 4,700 hours, which tops our previous year’s total by more than 300 hours, demonstrating our commitment to community and engagement.

1 2014-2015 ANNUAL REPORT

This year marked the rebranding of our Shaquille O’Neal Life Skills Program to a curriculumbased program, entitled Earn Your Stripes, which prepares our students for success prior to matriculation through our Summer Academic Success Program (SASP), during each year of their undergraduate years and after college.

We have continued the journey of success by emphasizing our Total Team Commitment which is our strategic plan from 2012-2017. Our vision is simple yet profound: To be the premier provider of transformative student-athlete support services. Our mission is committed to challenging student-athletes to achieve their highest level of intellectual and personal development. The combination of living out our vision and mission allows the success to flourish into our values: Accountability, Commitment, Success, Integrity, Diversity, Teamwork, Service, and Education. These values serve as a reminder to those who work in the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes and to those who utilize our services.

VALUES BELOW DEFINES HOW OUR VALUES CONTRIBUTE TO TRANSFORMING THE LIVES OF STUDENT-ATHLETES TO SCHOLAR ATHLETES.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Exhibiting the willingness to accept responsibility for your actions.

DIVERSITY

Embracing and valuing the differences we all bring to the table.

The aforementioned is our foundation for success, which clearly has happened by design. As you peruse our annual report, you

COMMITMENT

Pledging excellence every day, every meeting, every situation, every time.

will start to see the transformation

TEAMWORK

Valuing each other as members of our team and working together to achieve common, agreed upon goals.

of lives through direction, guidance, passion, commitment, and excellence. Attributes that benefit

SUCCESS

Achieving excellence in all that is desired, planned, or attempted.

all whom we served yesterday,

S ERVICE

Individually and collectively, creating an environment of social awareness, establishing an appetite for helpfulness, and discovering a world with issues greater than our own.

today, and tomorrow.

INTEGRITY

Adhering to a strict moral and ethical code of behavior and action by consistently upholding rules, regulations, and values.

E DUCATION

Fostering a thirst for knowledge and promoting the discipline to pursue life-long learning.

COX COMMUNICATIONS ACADEMIC CENTER FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES

2

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE ENTER TO LEARN…

3 2014-2015 ANNUAL REPORT

COX COMMUNICATIONS ACADEMIC CENTER FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES

4

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

SINCE THE NCAA STARTED TRACKING GRADUATION SUCCESS RATES (GSR)* IN 2005 (COHORT DATA FOR 1998-99),

LSU STUDENT-ATHLETES HAVE IMPROVED 14 POINTS AND POSTED THEIR HIGHEST RATES OF 81 IN BOTH 2013 AND 2014.

OVERALL GSR FOR ALL STUDENT-ATHLETES 2007-08

2014

2006-07

2013

2005-06

2012

2004-05

2011

2003-04

2010

2002-03

2009

2001-02

2008

2000-01

2007

1999-00

2006

1998-99

2005

COHORT

GSR YEAR

81 81 80 78 74 71 69 69 69 67

*Graduation Success Rates (GSR): According to the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), the GSR Report provides information about two groups of students at the college or university identiďŹ ed at the top of the form: (1) all undergraduate students who were enrolled in a full-time program of studies for a baccalaureate degree; and (2) student-athletes who received athletics aid from the college or university for any period of time during their entering year. *Academic Performance Rate (APR): According to the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), the Academic Progress Rate (APR), implemented in 2003, holds institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes through a teambased metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term. The 2014 multi-year (fouryear) submission is data submitted by the institution for the following cohorts: 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2013-14. Currently, teams must earn a 930 four-year average APR or a 940 average over the most recent two years to participate in NCAA championships. In 2015-16 and beyond, teams must earn a four-year APR of 930 to compete in championships. A score of 1000 is a perfect score.

5 2014-2015 ANNUAL REPORT

19 OF 20 TEAMS EARNED A MULTI-YEAR

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE RATES (APR)* GREATER THAN 950

3 TEAMS

SCORED A PERFECT 1000 APR

BELOW IS OUR MULTI-YEAR* APR FROM 2004-05 TO 2013-14 AS RECORDED BY THE NCAA TEAM

2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

2011-12 2012-13 2013-14

Men’s Baseball

921 905 908 921 938 965 987 973 973 967

Men’s Basketball

860 903 910 942 918 905 911 909 955 957

Men’s Cross Country 929

893 950

Men’s Football

935

941 946 960 965 966 964 944 946 947

Men’s Golf

935

956 972

Men’s Swimming

944 961 965 980 992 987 982 989 984 983

Men’s Tennis

1000 1000 1000 979

976

915

946 911

983 1000 1000 994

971

977 978

913 1000 1000

987 980 987

992 1000 1000

Men’s Track, Indoor 972 974 962 960 929 939 942 930 952 964 Men’s Track, Outdoor 979 966 961 959 928 939 944 929 961 963 Women’s Basketball 933 937 951 967 962 971 972 964 966 955 Women’s Cross Country 972 950 963 987 1000 1000 1000 1000 978 976 Women’s Golf

972

981 985 1000 1000 993 993 984 991 1000

Women’s Gymnastics 991 988 986 985 985 990 981 982 974 978 Women’s Soccer

944 944 953 945 963 970 976 984 978 979

Women’s Softball

917 943 949 966 966 961 971 987 983 987

Women’s Swimming 944 961 965 980 992 987 983 989 984 983 Women’s Tennis

959 973 980 986 993 993 984 984 992 992

Women’s Track, Indoor 955

960

963

963

976

982 984

984

984

985

Women’s Track, Outdoor 970

956

960

959

980

981

984

984

983

Women’s Volleyball 967

965 975 986 986 990 990 984 983 989

984

*Academic Performance Rate (APR): According to the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), the Academic Progress Rate (APR), implemented in 2003, holds institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes through a team based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term. The 2014 multi-year (four year) submission is data submitted by the institution for the following cohorts: 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2013-14. Currently, teams must earn a 930 four-year average APR or a 940 average over the most recent two years to participate in NCAA championships. In 2015-16 and beyond, teams must earn a four-year APR of 930 to compete in championships. A score of 1000 is a perfect score.

COX COMMUNICATIONS ACADEMIC CENTER FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES

6

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

45 FIRST-YEAR STUDENT-ATHLETES WERE PLACED ON THE SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE (SEC) ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL. About the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll: The honor is based on grades from the 2014-15 academic calendar. Each student-athlete must: 1) have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above; 2) be on scholarship or a letterwinner; 3) have completed 24 semester hours of nonremedial credit; and 4) have been a member of the varsity team for the sport’s entire NCAA Championship segment.

7 2014-2015 ANNUAL REPORT

8 TEAMS SCORED A PERFECT 1000 FOR THE SINGLE-YEAR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE RATE

BELOW IS OUR SINGLE-YEAR APR FROM 2008-09 TO 2013-14 AS RECORDED BY THE NCAA TEAM

2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14

Men’s Baseball

982 962 990 958 980 942

Men’s Basketball

827 932 957 932 1000 941

Men’s Cross Country 778 * * * 1000 * Men’s Football

961 948 957 910 973 955

Men’s Golf

1000 971 1000 974 971 1000

Men’s Swimming

1000 983 966 1000 980 978

Men’s Tennis

963 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000

Men’s Track, Indoor 869 960 953 930 964 1000 Men’s Track, Outdoor 866 960 961 917 964 1000 Women’s Basketball 963 982 1000 907 975 942 Women’s Cross Country * 1000 * * * * Women’s Golf

1000 971 1000 958 1000 1000

Women’s Gymnastics 1000 980 952 1000 964 1000 Women’s Soccer

988 970 1000 974 961 973

Women’s Softball

1000 955 1000 988 988 973

Women’s Swimming 961 1000 963 977 991 991 Women’s Tennis

971 1000 971 1000 1000 1000

Women’s Track, Indoor 971 991 983 991 973 991 Women’s Track, Outdoor 990

990

983

991

973

983

Women’s Volleyball 981 978 1000 975 976 1000 *Denotes data representing three or fewer student-athletes. In accordance with FERPA’s interpretation of federal privacy regulations, institutions should not disclose statistical data contained in this report in cells made up of three or fewer students without student consent.

COX COMMUNICATIONS ACADEMIC CENTER FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES

8

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS WALLY PONTIFF, JR.*

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARDS

The Wally Pontiff, Jr., Academic Excellence Award, established in 2003, is presented each year to those undergraduate student-athletes who are in at least their third year academically at LSU, and who have the highest cumulative grade point averages among all student-athletes.

ALEXANDRA BOULET Softball, Senior Alexandra Boulet held a 3.991 grade point average while majoring in mathematics. She was the 2012 TAF Female Scholar Athlete of the Year award recipient.

Alexandra earned Chancellor’s List honors for six semesters, and was awarded the 2012 NCAA Elite 89 Award. She currently works as a graduate assistant with the Academic Center for the student-athlete tutorial program.

PHILIP DEMPSEY Track and Field, Senior Philip Dempsey held a 3.964 grade point average while majoring in biological sciences.

In his first four semesters at LSU, Philip was named to the Chancellor’s List, and twice was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll. In addition, Philip was the 2012 TAF Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.

NADINE DREHER Women’s Golf, Sophomore Nadine Dreher held a 3.947 GPA while majoring in sport management. Nadine was named to the 2013 SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll and was named to the 2014 SEC Academic Honor Roll. In 2013, Nadine was a Women’s Collegiate Golf All-American Scholar.

MICHELLE GAUTHIER Gymnastics, Sophomore Michelle Gauthier held a 3.954 GPA while majoring in kinesiology.

In 2013, Michelle was named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll and earned the prestigious honor of Scholastic All-American. Michelle also was named to the 2014 SEC Academic Honor Roll.

THERESE JERNBECK Track and Field, Sophomore Therese Jernbeck held a perfect 4.0 while majoring in international trade and finance. Therese was named to the Dean’s List in 2014 and was voted to the CoSIDA Academic AllDistrict First Team.

THOMAS LEBEAU Football, Sophomore Thomas LeBeau held a 3.927 while majoring in mechanical engineering. LeBeau was named to the SEC Honor Roll, the Dean’s List for Academic Excellence and was awarded numerous scholarships for athletic and academic excellence.

*Pontiff, 21, a three-year baseball letterman, was the designated hitter on LSU’s 2000 NCAA championship team, and he was the starting third baseman in his last two seasons. A biological sciences major with a 3.25 gpa, Pontiff was named to the 2002 District VI Academic All-America team, and he was a two-time of the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll. He was taken in the 21st round of the 2002 draft by the Oakland Athletics. He was a member of the All-SEC second team in the 2002 season and made the first All-SEC team the previous year. He passed away unexpectedly in 2002 prior to making a decision to return to LSU or sign with the Athletics.

9 2014-2015 ANNUAL REPORT

CHAISS MATTHEWS Track and Field, Freshman Chaiss Matthews maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA while majoring in biology. Chaiss is a Tri Delta academic mentor, helping freshmen majoring in biology excel in their classes. Chaiss received the Outstanding Freshman Tri Delta Award, Cox Student-Athlete of the Week award for academic excellence and the LSU Academic Scholars Award.

MARIEL MCLAUGHLIN Soccer, Sophomore Mariel McLaughlin maintained an impressive 3.944 grade point average while majoring in biology. Mariel was named to the 2013 SEC Academic Honor Roll and ACSA Academic Honor Roll. She was named to the

LSU’s Dean’s List, LSU Chancellor’s Honor Roll, and received LSU Honor’s College Sophomore Honors distinction. Mariel is also a member of the Golden Key National Honors Society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

DYLAN SUPAK Softball, Junior Dylan Supak maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA while majoring in kinesiology. She is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a 360 leader in Jeff Janssen’s Leadership Academy. Dylan was a 2013 Wally Pontiff Jr., Academic Excellence Award recipient, was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll, received Chancellor’s Honor Roll distinction, and was named to the SEC First-Year Honor Roll.

FOR THE 2013-14 ACADEMIC YEAR, 180 STUDENT-ATHLETES MET THE CRITERIA FOR THE DIRECTOR’S CUP AWARD, EARNING A GPA OF 3.0 OR HIGHER OVER THE PAST YEAR.

COX COMMUNICATIONS ACADEMIC CENTER FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES

10

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

BENGAL BELLES

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD The Bengal Belles Academic Achievement Award was created to recognize the achievements of student-athletes who have risen to the next level of academia. These student-athletes completed their undergraduate degrees and pursued master’s degrees while still representing LSU as a student-athlete on their respective fields of competition.

KALEIGH DICKSON Gymnastics Kaleigh Dickson graduated in May 2013 with a 3.3 GPA, earning her degree in broadcast journalism with a minor in business administration. Having one more year of eligibility, she began graduate school in her senior year, working on her master of mass communication degree. She earned an impressive 3.66 GPA in her first year of graduate school while competing for the Tigers. Kaleigh achieved Academic All-America status twice during her career. She competed as an allaround gymnast for four years, earning athletic All-America honors in the all-around in both her redshirt freshman and senior seasons.

Kaleigh served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, participating in team hospital visits, the McMains Bike Race, Operation Christmas Child, the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Telethon, Halloween BOOzar, Thanksgiving with the Tigers, and the Big Buddy Program, just to name a few. Kaleigh was named to the 2014 SEC Community Service team and was awarded the prestigious SEC Brad Davis Postgraduate Scholarship for her community service efforts. Kaleigh was a graduate assistant with the Shaquille O’Neal Life Skills Program and graduated in May 2014.

11 2014-2015 ANNUAL REPORT

JOSEPH CARAWAY Track and Field Former LSU pole vaulter Joseph Caraway graduated in May 2013 with a 3.59 GPA while majoring in kinesiology with a concentration in human movement/pre-med.

Throughout his LSU career, Joseph served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, was a member of the National Society of Leadership and spent numerous hours giving back to the community. Joseph participated in hospital visits, Big Buddy Day of the Mentor, Juvenile Diabetes Walk, SEC Can Drive, and more.

While completing his last year of eligibility and obtaining his master’s degree in kinesiology, Joseph was accepted into Notre Dame Seminary, where he is currently studying to receive his master’s degree in philosophy.

TIGER ATHLETIC FOUNDATION

SCHOLAR ATHLETES OF THE YEAR THOMAS LEBEAU Tiger Athletic Foundation Male Scholar Athlete of the Year Majoring in mechanical engineering, Thomas LeBeau maintained an impressive 3.927 GPA. He received numerous accolades throughout his career at LSU, including SEC Academic Honor Roll, Dean’s List for Academic Excellence, Mortar Board’s Top Ten Freshman Award, Baker Hughes Scholarship, Alvin Roy Fourth Quarter Award, and the LSU Encounter Engineering Rube Goldberg Design Competition Championship.

Posting a team grade point average of 3.246 for the 2013-14 academic year, the MEN’S GOLF TEAM was recognized with Highest Male Team GPA honors.

With a 3.4843 team grade point average for the 2013-14 academic year, the WOMEN’S GOLF TEAM earned Highest Female Team GPA honors.

DYLAN SUPAK Tiger Athletic Foundation Female Scholar Athlete of the Year Dylan Supak has maintained a perfect 4.0 while majoring in kinesiology. Dylan serves on the StudentAthlete Advisory Committee, is a 360 leader in Jeff Janssen’s Leadership Academy and serves as a representative on the Athletics Council.

Dylan was a 2013 and 2014 Wally Pontiff Jr., Excellence Award recipient, was named to the SEC Honor Roll and received Chancellor’s Honor Roll distinction. In addition, she was a recipient of the Mortar Board LSU Outstanding Student-Athlete Award. A participant on the 2012 College World Series team, Dylan was named to the 2012 Purple & Gold Challenge and Tiger Invitational All-Tournament teams. Dylan participates in numerous community service efforts with her team and helped LSU Softball win the 2013 Tiger Cup.

COX COMMUNICATIONS ACADEMIC CENTER FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES

12

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

TIGER ATHLETIC FOUNDATION ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

AARON NOLA Tiger Athletic Foundation Male Athlete of the Year In 2014, Aaron Nola received numerous accolades. He was named the 2014 National Pitcher of the Year and is recognized as one of the best pitchers in SEC history. Aaron was a 2014 Golden Spikes Award Finalist, 2014 First-Team All-American, and 2014 First Team All-SEC. He was named to the 2014 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional and SEC All-Tournament teams. Aaron also was named SEC pitcher of the week in April 2014. Aaron was the No. 7 overall draft pick and the No. 1 MLB Draft pick for the Philadelphia Phillies. He left his mark at LSU, ranking No. 3 in career strikeouts, No. 4 in career ERA and No. 5 in career wins. Additionally, in his last season as a Tiger, Aaron started in 16 games and posted an 11-1 mark and 1.47 ERA in 116.1 innings with 27 walks, 134 strikeouts, and a .172 opponent batting average. Aaron led the SEC in strikeouts, ERA and opponent batting average and ranked No. 3 in the nation in strikeouts.

RHEAGAN COURVILLE Tiger Athletic Foundation Female Athlete of the Year As a freshman, Rheagan Courville was the first LSU gymnast to achieve First-Team All-America status in the all-around. She is a 16-time AllAmerican, three-time SEC Champion, three-time All-SEC performer, and two-time Central Region Gymnast of the Year. In her sophomore season, she capped one of the finest seasons in LSU history by winning the NCAA vault national title.

She became the sixth gymnast in LSU history to win an individual national title and the third to win on vault, only the second to do it as a sophomore. In 2014, Rheagan defended her 2013 NCAA vault national title as Co-NCAA Vault National Champion with a score of 9.9750, the highest score to win the vault national title in NCAA history. In 2014, she earned eight AllAmerica honors, five honors during the regular season and three first-team honors at the NCAA Championships. Rheagan continued to be one of the nation’s top gymnasts in 2014 by earning Top 25 national rankings in all five categories: No. 2 in the all-around, No. 7 on vault, No. 13 on bars, No. 9 on beam, and No. 11 on floor. She earned SEC Academic Honor Roll distinction three consecutive seasons.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA AWARD

DR. AMY MCCLOSKY-MCGINLEY Dr. Amy McClosky-McGinley received the Distinguished Alumna Award, which recognizes a former student-athlete who excelled both athletically and academically while at LSU, and who has gone on to distinguish themselves in their chosen occupation or in the community. Nominees are LSU graduates and 10 years removed as a graduate of LSU.

384 STUDENT-ATHLETES EARNED A 3.0 GRADE POINT AVERAGE OR HIGHER FOR THE FALL 2014 AND SPRING 2015 SEMESTERS. 13 2014-2015 ANNUAL REPORT

THE TIGER CUP

EYE OF THE TIGER AWARD

KENNY HILLIARD Kenny Hilliard received the Eye of the Tiger Award, presented to a current or former LSU studentathlete who has overcome great adversity to accomplish their academic and/or athletic goals with perseverance, dedication and determination.

LSU GYMNASTICS At LSU there is an expectation that student-athletes will excel both athletically and academically and they will also give back to the community that supports them. The Tiger Cup is presented to the team that has the highest total achievement in the areas of academics, community service, and athletics. Teams were ranked by their team grade point average for the academic year, their final standing in the Southeastern Conference, and the average number of community service hours per person on the team.

The LSU Gymnastics team logged in over 442.5 hours of community service, participating in Halloween BOOzar, Thanksgiving with the Tigers, The Blue Ribbon Soiree, Read Across America Day, Wheels to Succeed, Big Buddy Day of the Mentor, Painting the Pillars, and Our Lady of the Lake Hospital visits. The Tigers placed third overall with a 197.325 in the SEC Championship last year in Birmingham. This ranked as the second-best team total at an SEC Championship in program history. The gymnastics team went on to dominate the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional with a school-record score of 198.325 as they clinched the 13th regional title in school history and advanced to the NCAA Championships for the 25th time. The season ended with another record-breaking performance, as the team earned the highest finish in school history with a 197.6 score to take third place at the NCAA Super Six Final. Working hard on and off the field, the gymnastics team carried a 3.3785 GPA for the year.

CO-SIDA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA* JOSEPH CARAWAY 2014 Men’s Track & Field

THERESE JERNBECK 2014 Women’s Track & Field

*Co-Sida Academic All-America: The Academic All-America teams program was created in 1952 by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) to honor college athletes who excel not just in sports, but also in academics.

COX COMMUNICATIONS ACADEMIC CENTER FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES

14

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT LEAVE TO SERVE…

15 2014-2015 ANNUAL REPORT

COX COMMUNICATIONS ACADEMIC CENTER FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES

16

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS, STUDENT-ATHLETES HAVE LOGGED MORE THAN

4,000 VOLUNTEER HOURS PER YEAR, INCLUDING AN ALL-TIME HIGH OF 4,725.5 HOURS IN 2013-14.

A HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF STUDENT-ATHLETES PARTICIPATING IN COMMUNITY SERVICE: 4,725.5

2013-14

4,475

2012-13

3,706

2011-12

3,135

2010-11

2,648.5

2009-10

2,360

2008-09

2,589

2007-08

2,523

2006-07 2005-06 2004-05 2003-04

17 2014-2015 ANNUAL REPORT

884 1,521 1,744

STUDENT-ATHLETE

ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SAAC) The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is an elite group of student-athletes who work diligently behind the scenes for the benefit of their fellow teammates as well as the LSU and Baton Rouge communities. The group is comprised of representatives from each of the 16 sports, and their mission is to assist in the creation of an environment where all student-athletes have the opportunity to maximize their academic, athletic, personal, and social growth and improve their post-college quality of life. They organize several events each year including the Halloween BOOzar for local children, a Thanksgiving and Christmas party for the underprivileged, and a MIKIE’s “ESPY” type awards & talent show. They also organize studentathlete visits to schools, hospitals, and community events. Members of the committee represent the university each semester on SEC conference calls and at in-person meetings at the SEC office in Birmingham. Members also have the opportunity to give input on the rules, regulations, and policies that affect student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses.

MALE VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

FEMALE VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

DAVID COLLINS Track and Field David Collins has shown the importance of giving back by volunteering at LSU Dorm Movein Day, LSU Twilight, and LHSAA State. He also has counseled for Young Life, an organization for high school students to help them get in touch with their faith. For the 20132014 year, David accumulated 86.5 total hours of community service.

SHANECE MCKINNEY Women’s Basketball Shanece McKinney devoted her time to volunteering at Big Buddy, Thanksgiving with the Tigers, LSU Dance Marathon, YMCA Basketball Clinics, Juneteenth, the United Way Day of Action, and the Special Olympics Beat Bama Video. She also attended many Women’s Hospital visits. For the 20132014 year, Shanece accumulated over 193 hours of community service.

195 STUDENTATHLETES EARNED SEC ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL RECOGNITION DURING THE 2014-15 ACADEMIC YEAR.

COX COMMUNICATIONS ACADEMIC CENTER FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES

18

NEWCOMERS

ZACHARIA AHMED Academic Advisor A Bachelor’s and Master’s graduate from Fairleigh Dickinson, Zacharia Ahmed has served in various roles throughout the New York and New Jersey areas, both on the academic and athletic side for the last six years. He has held positions at Marist, Farleigh Dickinson and Rutgers. He is a member of the National Association for Academic Advisors for Athletics.

At Rutgers, he mentored at-risk and first-year student-athletes and evaluated academic skills, grades and progress toward degree completion. Ahmed also assisted with presentations and all matters concerning initial eligibility, NCAA rules and regulations and Academic Progress Rates.

While working to obtain his bachelor’s in business management, the Heightstown, New Jersey, native was a four-year letterwinner on the Fairleigh Dickinson’s track and field team, where he qualified for the Northeast Conference Championships in both the indoor and outdoor events all four years.

19 2014-2015 ANNUAL REPORT

CARLI FAULKNER Learning Specialist Carli Faulkner has spent the last two years serving in various roles for the CCACSA while completing the requirements to earn her master of arts in sports administration. She has served as a tutorial graduate assistant, where she assisted in working with various faculty members. She assisted with tutorial support and tours for prospective student-athletes for the LSU football program. While also completing her tutoring duties, she helped develop interactive games used during sessions to further help student-athletes.

The year prior, Faulkner was responsible for providing weekly and semester calendars for at-risk student-athletes for the academic center, providing proactive and individualized support to enhance student-athlete success. She also assisted in the Summer Academic Success Program, assisting incoming freshmen with the transition to college life by helping develop new study skills and testing strategies.

Faulkner earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Tyler, where she played on the Patriot softball team for two seasons after spending the previous two at Louisiana College.

KIRSTIN DEFUSCO Assistant Director Kirstin DeFusco brings a host of experiences to the role, as she’s honed her skills both at University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and South Carolina.

At USM, the Philadelphia, Pa., native was an athletic academic counselor in the student academic enhancement program, overseeing football, volleyball, women’s golf and women’s tennis. DeFusco monitored student-athlete progress and oversaw graduate assistant workforce, while also facilitating and implementing new student-athlete orientation, development and life skills events, among other duties.

DeFusco earned her bachelor’s degree from Drew University, majoring in psychology while earning a minor in political science. While at Drew she was a letterwinner on both the women’s lacrosse and field hockey teams. She was named a team captain and won three conference championships in addition to being named to the all-academic team. She earned her masters at Temple University in exercise and sport psychology.

She has been a member of the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics since 2011.

THE COMMUNITY SERVICE CUP LSU GYMNASTICS LSU Gymnastics’ commitment to community exemplifies true teamwork and citizenship to Baton Rouge. The Community Service Cup was created to recognize the team that displays extraordinary dedication and commitment to serving their community. During the 2013-2014 academic year, LSU gymnasts completed 443 community service hours, equating to over 26 hours per student-athlete. Their service included events such as the The Blue Ribbon Soiree, Halloween BOOzar, the Wheels to Succeed Bike Race, Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired Day, Thanksgiving with the Tigers, GEAUX Teal, Read Across America Day, Our Lady of the Lake Hospital Visits, Big Buddy Day of the Mentor, Painting the Pillars, and the Gardere Art Project.

CHI ALPHA SIGMA, THE NATIONAL COLLEGE ATHLETE HONOR SOCIETY, GAINED 36 NEW MEMBERS FROM LSU. Those student-athletes maintained a 3.4 or higher cumulative grade point average by the time they reached at least junior academic status, are of good moral character, earned a letter in their sport, and were endorsed by their coach for the honor.

COX COMMUNICATIONS ACADEMIC CENTER FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES

20

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

DR. LOUISE BODACK Co-presented “Bridging the Gap - You Want Me to Do What?!” at the Second Annual Drive-In Conference* in Baton Rouge. The purpose was to explain how diagnostic tools/resources are used to design and implement an educational plan to address the specific individual needs of student-athletes.

DR. EARNIE FINGERS Co-presented “Mental Health & Well Being” at the Second Annual Drive-In Conference* in Baton Rouge. The purpose was to address the growing attention regarding mental health on college campuses.

As national issues related to mental health continue to grow, this particular session focused directly upon educating the audience about: a) the formal definition of mental health; b) exposing the critical elements related to recognizing signs of mental duress and c) reviewing the potential barriers that can sometimes stand in the way of receiving much needed mental health services.

WALTER HOLLIDAY Elected Division Director for Student-Athlete Development in the National Association of Academic Advising for Athletics (N4A) and co-presented a session entitled “How I Got Here - Success Journey” at the N4A national conference in Orlando.

DOROTHY KEMP Coordinated and orchestrated the inaugural Tutorial Conference held at the Cox Communications Academic Center for StudentAthletes. This one-day, “drive-in” professional development opportunity provided attendees with unique opportunities to network with tutor/learning center professionals as well as gain valuable information to support and enhance their student learning techniques and programs. Created a special interest group within CRLA entitled Student-Athletes.

Presented “Utilizing Training Needs Assessments for Tutorial Programs” in St. Paul, Minnesota at the national CRLA conference.

KENNETH O. MILES Wrote an article for the NACDA December 2014/Volume 49/ Number 8 publication entitled, “Understanding the Value of the Student-Athlete Experience: Conceive It! Believe It! Achieve It!” Elected President-Elect for the National Association of Academic Advising for Athletics, facilitated a panel discussion entitled “Recommendation for Rookies,” and co-presented “Realities of Working in College Athletics” at the national N4A Conference in Orlando. Participated as a panelist at the Inaugural Black Student-Athlete Conference entitled, “A View from the Field: Student-Athlete Academic Support Directors” in Austin, TX.

JASON SHAW Coordinated the Second Annual Drive-In Conference* entitled, “Oh The Places You’ll Go!” The purpose of this conference was to bring in representatives from area high schools, community colleges and fouryear institutions to share knowledge, to inspire conversations, and to discuss topics related to working with student-athletes in our career field.

JENNIFER SCHUELKE Co-Presented “In the Driver’s Seat! Connected Collaboration to Increase Student and Tutorial Efficiency” at the Second Annual Drive-In Conference* in Baton Rouge. This presentation was based on the DRIVE Theory, which charges educators with creating diverse educational opportunities and clear learning targets to DRIVE motivation and student ownership of learning.

CARLI FAULKNER Co-Presented “In the Driver’s Seat! Connected Collaboration to Increase Student and Tutorial Efficiency” at the Second Annual Drive-In Conference* in Baton Rouge. This presentation was based on the DRIVE Theory, which charges educators with creating diverse educational opportunities and clear learning targets to DRIVE motivation and student ownership of learning.

SARAH MORAN Selected to the LSU LEAD...

Emerge Class of 2015. *The Drive-In Conference is a cost-effective opportunity for networking and discovering new ideas to implement within the academic and student-athlete development field.

21 2014-2015 ANNUAL REPORT

SHAQUILLE O’NEAL LIFE SKILLS PROGRAM “COMMITMENT TO GEAUXLD”

The Shaquille O’Neal Life Skills Program was rebranded to a four-year curriculum-based plan named Earn Your Stripes.

This approach will entail programming within personal development, career development and professionalism, community engagement, and leadership.

This program ensures that preparedness during and after college becomes a structured priority in order to positively impact our community.

GEAUX GROW

GEAUX GIVE

GEAUX ACHIEVE

Personal Enhancement is the foundation for student-athlete success. This includes a focus on personal identity and values, wellbeing, transition and reflection.

Social Engagement is a cornerstone that emphasizes social awareness, civic engagement and responsibility and moral application.

Career Development is a cornerstone to assist student-athletes with career exploration, career choice, career preparation and career transition.

GEAUX LEAD

GEAUX EXCEL

GEAUX IMPACT

Leadership is the keystone that develops student-athlete’s personal, social and professional leadership skills.

Prepared Professionalism is the capstone that gives the student-athletes opportunities to intentionally improve, apply and reflect their own individual skills in these key areas: Personal Accountability, Specialized Knowledge and Competency, Image Awareness and Relationship Building.

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is the linchpin that serves as the voice of the student-athletes and is charged to positively impact the overall student-athlete experience.

COX COMMUNICATIONS ACADEMIC CENTER FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES

22

100 Gym Armory Baton Rouge, LA 70803 (P) 225.578.5787 (F) 225.578.5790 www.acsa.lsu.edu

@LSUAcademicCtr