The Department of Athletics Student Development Program is committed
to the total development of Notre Dame student-athletes. The program
fosters the cultivation of skills that allow for the maximization of
potential on and off of the playing field.
While not meant to replace existing on-campus student services, the
program acknowledges the unique needs and demands of
student-athletes. Active participation in the Student Development
Program prepares student-athletes for the ultimate competitive
challenge - life.
In 2000, Notre Dame Student Development was one of four schools
recognized (along with Arizona State, Iowa and Michigan State) as one
of the best programs in the nation by the NCAA Division I-A Athletic
Directors' Association when it was awarded the Program of Excellence
Award.
The Student Development Program implements events and activities
which are designed to facilitate learning within five key areas:
academic excellence, athletic success, career preparation, community
involvement and personal development.
The program has two components: voluntary and required. It is up to
the individual student-athlete as to whether or not to participate in
the voluntary component of the program. Voluntary activities include
community service, the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and
the Rosenthal Student-Athlete Leadership Institute. The required
component of the program is its cornerstone. By the time a
student-athlete graduates, he or she will have received close to 40
hours of skill building and development workshops within the five key
areas mentioned above.
Key Areas:
The most important of the five areas is academics. Working in
conjunction with the Office of Academic Services for
Student-Athletes, the Student Development Program assists
student-athletes in their pursuit of academic goals. Assistance is
provided in identifying and meeting the academic challenges of Notre
Dame through workshops such as Maximizing Academic Performance, Effective Time Management, and Study
Skills for the Student-Athlete. An Academic Honors Program has been
established to identify and honor those who have experienced high
academic achievement. And for those students who wish to continue
their education, the program provides contacts with those who can
assist in smoothing the transition to graduate school.
The athletic success area supplements what student-athletes learn
through their sport by covering such topics as performance
enhancement, leadership, nutrition, agents and amateurism, and sports
conduct.
The career preparation area offers several networking dinners
throughout the academic year. The dinners, which are sponsored by the
Notre Dame National Monogram Club, are but one of the ways in which
individuals learn more about various professions and develop key
business contacts. They also give the student-athletes exposure to
the Notre Dame alumni network. In addition to the dinner, Student
Development also offers workshops on resume and cover letter
composition, interviewing and career placement. The Office also
compiles and distributes the Junior & Senior Student-Athlete
Workbook, which features the resumes of junior-and senior-level
students.
The terms Notre Dame and community service go hand-in-hand. Most
students are inclined to get involved in the community. The Student
Development Program brings together individual student-athletes
and/or entire teams with various organizations in the surrounding
communities. Specific relationships have been developed with local
area hospitals, community centers, and outreach agencies so as to
provide all student-athletes safe, ongoing and reliable volunteer
opportunities. Events such as the SAAC Pediatric Christmas Party and
the Verizon Read Like a Champion Challenge have become annual service
fixtures in the Student Development Program. In 2001-2002, more than
70 percent of all student-athletes combined to contribute a total of
2,057 volunteer hours!
The personal development area of Student Development covers a wide
variety of areas including personal health, ethics, leadership and
decision making. Also, through the Life After Notre Dame Athletics
series discussions and presentations are held throughout the year to
address the challenges of making the transition from college to
career, and the realization of no longer participating in sports.
Other topics that are specifically covered include: financial aid and
money management, disordered eating and nutritional risks, business
and formal etiquette, and gender violence prevention. Additionally,
at the request of coaches and administrators, the Student Development
Office designs and/or coordinate programming to address team-specific
needs.
The Student Development Program has been very popular with
student-athletes and has had an immediate impact with freshmen. An
orientation program for incoming freshmen and their parents has been
established to familiarize and identify the challenges and
opportunities which are unique to them as both student and athletes.
The program is coordinated with the assistance of SAAC as a means to
introduce and heighten awareness of first-year students around such
issues as making the transition from high school to college, DuLac,
compliance, parietals, and substance abuse. The format is very
interactive with the information being delivered through skits, role
playing and small discussion groups.
In addition to these five focal areas, Student Development is also
responsible for managing the scholarship textbook process, the design
and production of the annual Student-Athlete Handbook/Planner,
facilitating An Evening at Shamrock Hills team dinners, serving as
the primary advisors to the SAAC, and the coordination of the
Rosenthal Student-Athlete Leadership Institute and the athletic
department's annual year-end celebration, the O.S.C.A.R.S.! -
Outstanding Student-Athletes Celebrating Achievement, & Recognition
Showcase!
The Department of Athletics Student Development Program, which has
been in existence since August 1996, continues to grow and evolve to
meet the needs of student-athletes, so as to ensure that when they
graduate from the University they are prepared for that transition.
It is the mission of the Student Development staff that all Notre
Dame student-athletes are fully prepared to successfully meet the
challenges of life.
