Clearing Hurdles: Maintaining an Ongoing

Relationship between Academic and Athletic

Advisors

NACADA ConferenceDenver, CO

October 5, 2011Kevin Jerrolds

Hadyn SweckerMary Kathryn Borland

• UAB facts & figures• Advising structure• Athletic Services• Variance of Hurdles • Athletic Advising Model

Overview of Hurdles

• Student Population• 17,543• 11,028 Undergraduate

• 49 majors• 67 minors• Conference USA• 17 NCAA Division One Sport Teams• 350-370 Student Athletes each year

• Public Institution- Carnegie Classification “very high research activity“

University of Alabama at Birmingham

• Men• Baseball• Basketball• Football• Golf • Soccer • Tennis

• Women• Basketball• Bowling• Cross Country• Golf• Rifle• Soccer• Softball• Tennis• Track• Sand Volleyball• Volleyball

Conference USA: Division One Sport Teams

• Decentralized• School, Major, & Program• Professional & Faculty

Advisors • Varied caseloads &

responsibilities• Orientation, FYE, group &

individual meetings, Jump Start

Academic Advising Structure

• 1 Associate Athletic Director

• 8 Athletic Academic Advisors

• 2 Learning Specialists• 2 part-time

administrative assistants

• 4 Interns

Athletic Advising Structure

• Academic Planning and Counseling

• Academic Progress Review

• Orientation• Book Distribution

Program• Advising Day

• Tutoring and Study Hall• Academic Mentoring• Team Travel Academic

Support• Jump Start Program• Awards• GradesFirst• Faculty/Staff

Appreciation Day

Athletic Academic Programming

• Athletics• Academics• Career Development• Community Service• Personal/Professional Development

Life Skills

• Catalog/Program Changes• Course Offerings/Need• Changing Majors• Check-Sheets/Paperwork• Eligibility• Substitutions• Requirements & Electives

“Major” Hurdles

• Academic Preparation• Motivation• Feasibility of Goals• Early Alert

“Conditioning & Training” Hurdles

• Transfer Students• International Students• Honors Students• High Profile Students• DSS Students• Conditionally Admitted Students• First-generation College Students

Population Hurdles

• Disregard for Academic Advisor• Student Confusion on Roles• Coaches• Faculty

Team Hurdles

• Committee• Model Development• Online Toolkit

Model Creation

Academic Advisor Duties• Communicating core, major, minor, elective and

program changes• Access to/awareness of practice schedule• Communicating major/course conflicts with

practice schedule with athletic advisors• Providing athletic advisor with check sheet• Aiding students in course selection which will

keep student on track to meet degree percentage in selected major/minor

• Educating students on prerequisites, major, minor, and program requirements

• Establishing timeline for graduation• Keeping updated notes• Creating academic plans for warning, probation,

suspension• Providing academic plans to athletic advisor as

needed

Athletic Advisor Duties• Obtaining and sending practice schedules and

other scheduling conflicts to academic advisors• Awareness of and communication with

academic advisor on timeline for graduation• Sharing problems, issues, concerns with

academic advisors• Awareness of core, major, minor, elective,

program information• Monitoring student-athlete academic

performance• Referring to tutoring and mentoring• Meeting regularly with coaches to discuss

academic performance, sharing ideas/concerns, academic successes, plans for improvement, communicating major/practice/course/timeline conflicts with coaches

• Referring to outside support i.e. career services• Monitoring eligibility and alerting academic

advisors as needed• Attending Advisor Training

Playbook

First Semester Freshman Year: Athletic Advisors

First Semester Freshman Year: Academic Advisors

Subsequent Semesters: Athletic Advisors

Subsequent Semesters: Academic Advisors

Clearing Hurdles: Maintaining an Ongoing

Relationship between Academic and Athletic

Advisors

NACADA ConferenceDenver, CO

October 5, 2011Kevin Jerrolds

Hadyn SweckerMary Kathryn Borland