MAAC All-Academic Student Athletes to be Honored at Graduation
MAAC Sports
Edison, N.J. - Student-athletes who
have earned MAAC All-Academic Team honors will be recognized with a pin at each
MAAC institution's graduation in 2012 as part of a Student-Athlete Advisory
Committee (SAAC) initiative. The pin will honor the student-athletes' performances
on the field as well as in the classroom.
In
order for an individual to be eligible for All-Academic honors, a student-athlete
must achieve at least a 3.2 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average and must be of
at least sophomore academic standing. This year, there will be two color
designated pins. White pins will honor student-athletes who have been named to
the All-Academic Team once, while gold pins honor student-athletes who have
been named to the All-Academic Team two or more times throughout their collegiate
careers.
"Student-athletes
do not only attend school to play sports but to earn an education," said Katie
Carew, the MAAC's National SAAC representative. "This pin represents the
success graduating seniors have had in the classroom while participating in a
Division I sport. Representatives of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committees
from all ten MAAC schools developed this idea so student-athletes would be
recognized at commencement for their dedication and commitment to academics."
The
idea behind honoring the student-athletes came from a MAAC SAAC seminar where
two representatives from each MAAC institution come together for a weekend to
participate in community service initiatives and partake in a meeting to
discuss campus programs and improvements for their respective campus SAACs. Members
of MAAC SAAC wanted a way to distinguish their accomplishments throughout their
time at college as a student-athlete. A pin was approved by the Council of
Presidents to honor the student-athletes.
"It
is exciting that the MAAC's All-Academic Team members will be recognized at
their school graduations for their excellence in the classroom as well as for
their athletic achievements," noted Richard J. Ensor, MAAC Commissioner. "I
congratulate MAAC SAAC chair Katie Carew from Siena College for leading the
effort that led to the MAAC Council of Presidents authorizing this honor."