No off-season for athletes in the classroom

June 2006 — When an LSU athlete succeeds on the playing field, it is usually in front of stadiums and arenas filled to the brim with roaring Tiger fans. Their victories are many, and their accomplishments known not only here in Louisiana, but around the country. While these Tigers achieve fame for touchdowns, home runs, and last minute baskets, they are also making strides in the academic world. This semester, nine of LSU’s 16 sports teams posted grade point averages of 3.0 or better, an illustration of how philanthropy is having an impact on student-athletes in every sport at LSU.

In 2002, LSU opened the doors on the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes (CCAC), the culmination of a massive fundraising drive by the Tiger Athletic Foundation to transform the old Gym Armory Building into the premiere academic support facility for college athletes in the nation.

The fundraising effort – led by LSU alums Richard Manship, Bo Campbell, Eric Hill, and others – teamed with Cox Communications to generate more than $14 million in donations for the facility. Cox Communications itself gave $5.5 million to make the Academic Center a reality.

The Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes currently provides a tutorial staff to work directly with students, a supervised study hall to provide an environment conducive to learning, and dozens of computers available for student-athletes. These facilities and services provided by the staff of the Academic Center create a learning environment that encourages success, reinforces good habits, and prepares student-athletes for the unique challenges that face them in the public eye. Along with academic instruction, student athletes gain personal counseling and interviewing and public relations training from the Center. These activities increase student-athletes’ potential for academic, personal, and career success.

And the results speak for themselves. In the past semester alone, 50 percent (207 of 414) of all LSU student-athletes achieved a gpa of 3.0 or better, with 79 (19%) of those students recording at least a 3.5 gpa. LSU had 28 (or 6.7%) of its student-athletes finish the spring semester with a perfect 4.0 average in the classroom. The overall gpa for LSU’s 414 student-athletes during the spring semester was 2.835.

LSU Athletic Director Skip Bertman credits the director of the Academic Center, Roger Grooter, with setting the tone for success.

“ Dr. Grooters has changed the culture in terms of athletics and academics here at LSU over the last five years,” Bertman said. “Roger and his staff have done a tremendous job in all phases of academics, and their work has been uplifting for the faculty, the staff, and especially the student-athletes.”

The women’s golf team, which was one of only 24 teams from across the country who participated in the 2006 NCAA Championships, led all LSU teams in the classroom with a 3.389 gpa. All nine members of the women’s golf team posted at least a 3.0 with two of those having at least at 3.5.

The Lady Tigers golfers were followed by the women’s soccer team with a 3.263 average, women’s swimming and diving with a 3.219 average, and gymnastics with a 3.139 average.

Eight of the 10 players on the men’s golf team had at least a 3.0 average, while 10 of the 13 members on the men’s basketball squad reached the 3.0 mark – a remarkable accomplishment considering the NCAA basketball tournament, in which the Tigers reached the Final Four, fell during the spring 2006 semester.

It is also not likely a coincidence that LSU’s teams have been enjoying extraordinary success since 2002, when the center opened. Successful players are successful individuals first, and confidence in life translates to confidence on the field. So next time a Tiger scores a touchdown, know that your support helped make that possible. And get used to high scores in the classroom as well. It is all part of a winning attitude on campus, an attitude that starts with philanthropic support and continues through the excellence of every student at LSU.

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Michelle Spielman
LSU Office of Public Affairs