So I was watching college basketball this weekend in advance of March Madness and thought back to the past season here at CSU. Both of our teams had winning records in the same season for the first time in school history. Great accomplishment given that we have had an uneven administration of athletics during my time here at CSU. It is probably more difficult at a historically commuter campus to generate interest in athletics on the part of faculty than at more traditional universities. And our basketball teams have done their part by winning. Now what are we going to do to support our student-athletes?
I believe there is a disconnect between the Athletics Department and the academic side of the university. A well run athletics program at a Division I school has the opportunity to put a school on the map and increase and diversify its enrollment. Not every university can have a viable football program. However, many small schools can and do have successful basketball programs. What is it going to take to get our programs into the NCAA tournaments and have Chicago State University seen by millions of prospective students all over the country. Since we don’t spend money on marketing this institution, we have to rely on ‘free media.’ The NCAA tournament is ‘free media’ that could attract more traditional students, many from out of state and enhance our revenue stream while improving our retention and graduation rates. Academics and athletics should work hand in hand to promote the university. And the truth be told I was never very supportive of the athletics program because I didn’t take the time to get involved.
I had the opportunity this past season to work with the Women’s basketball team on sharpening some of the mental aspects of their preparation. It was a tremendous learning experience for me. One of the more important lessons I learned was how important our support is to our athletes. They want to be seen and recognized not just in the classroom but on the court or the field. I asked myself why I don’t see more faculty at sporting events and then it occurred to me, that maybe they haven’t been asked. If you have worked here more than a week, you probably know that institutionally, communications is a significant weakness. So in my official capacity as the institution’s Faculty Athletics Representative, I invite all faculty to our sporting events. Come out and support our student athletes. Take a different interest in their experience. For some of our student athletes, their participation in sports is what gives them an opportunity to earn a degree. It’s important to them. Can we make it important to us?
I believe there is a disconnect between the Athletics Department and the academic side of the university. A well run athletics program at a Division I school has the opportunity to put a school on the map and increase and diversify its enrollment. Not every university can have a viable football program. However, many small schools can and do have successful basketball programs. What is it going to take to get our programs into the NCAA tournaments and have Chicago State University seen by millions of prospective students all over the country. Since we don’t spend money on marketing this institution, we have to rely on ‘free media.’ The NCAA tournament is ‘free media’ that could attract more traditional students, many from out of state and enhance our revenue stream while improving our retention and graduation rates. Academics and athletics should work hand in hand to promote the university. And the truth be told I was never very supportive of the athletics program because I didn’t take the time to get involved.
I had the opportunity this past season to work with the Women’s basketball team on sharpening some of the mental aspects of their preparation. It was a tremendous learning experience for me. One of the more important lessons I learned was how important our support is to our athletes. They want to be seen and recognized not just in the classroom but on the court or the field. I asked myself why I don’t see more faculty at sporting events and then it occurred to me, that maybe they haven’t been asked. If you have worked here more than a week, you probably know that institutionally, communications is a significant weakness. So in my official capacity as the institution’s Faculty Athletics Representative, I invite all faculty to our sporting events. Come out and support our student athletes. Take a different interest in their experience. For some of our student athletes, their participation in sports is what gives them an opportunity to earn a degree. It’s important to them. Can we make it important to us?
