Year in Review
Year in Review
The opening of The Susan & Gaylon McCollough A-Club Career and Leadership Development Center within the Bill Battle Academic Center at Bryant Hall in fall 2013 was just the first step in the Crimson Tide's continuing efforts to provide the best support possible for Alabama student-athletes on the field, in the classroom and in preparing them for life after both. The next step came with the addition of Jessie Gardner, the Tide's Director of Career and Leadership Development, in the spring and the development of Alabama's D.R.I.V.E. For Success program which got underway during the fall 2014.
D.R.I.V.E. For Success is designed to actively support professional and leadership growth of current and former Crimson Tide student-athletes through practical education and comprehensive programming in preparation for success in life.
"Our program is founded on the pillars of Dedication, Responsibility, Influence, Vision and Excellence," Gardner said. "Everything we're doing within this program is focused on creating leaders who are ready for whatever is thrown their way after they leave Alabama."
The program has continued to improve throughout its first year on campus as new elements were added and feedback from all involved continued to sharpen the program's effectiveness.
"I put together an advisory committee with representatives from the coaching staffs, compliance staff, a variety of department heads both in athletics and across campus, as well as representatives from the A-Club and our 1st and Ten Club to help evaluate what we're doing and collaborate on how best to help our student-athletes in this crucial area going forward," Gardner said. "We rolled out the program in August with all the teams coming back to town and throughout the fall semester things went very well. I think we're all excited about this first step."
At the heart of the expanded effort was a donation from Dr. Gaylon McCullough, an Academic All-American and the starting center on Paul W. "Bear" Bryant's 1964 national championship team, and his wife Susan, with additional funding from the Alabama letter winners A-Club.
The Susan & Gaylon McCollough A-Club Career and Leadership Development Center was then deliberately placed in the heart of the Bill Battle Academic Center at Bryant Hall, which is utilized daily by the Crimson Tide's more than 500 student-athletes.
In conjunction with individualized support within the center, the D.R.I.V.E. For Success program achieved their goals through several programs and events, including:
- Freshman Transition Course (HES 100)
- Sophomore Leadership Course (HES 275)
- Emerging Tide Leaders
- Career Panels
- Career Fair
- Graduate School Preparation Series
- Resume/Cover Letter Development Workshop
- Major Exploration Fair
- Networking Night
- Senior Transition Seminar
- Nike Internships
- Shut Out Trafficking Week
Alabama's academic facilities for its student-athletes had already made a huge difference in recruiting, and the career and leadership center is the next step in that process as it helps coaches recruit the kinds of student-athletes who will take advantage of their opportunities and those resources.
"The career development aspect of this program is huge for our student-athletes, because prior to this program their professional development support was primarily through the Career Center on campus," Gardner said. "While their staff is phenomenal, they have 36,000 students to support. We still fully promote the campus Career Center's resources and events even though we now have the career and leadership development program in place. They have a great staff who are passionate about helping all students. We are very fortunate to have such a strong relationship with them.
"For student-athletes who have a limited schedule and are already so busy, being able to put this career center right in the heart of Bryant Hall increased their likelihood of tapping into this support program," Gardner said. "With the amount of time they spend here, the visibility and convenience of the career center encourages their active participation and allows me to build a personal relationship with them."
While the program is still growing and developing, a strong start in its first year points to a bright future for the D.R.I.V.E. For Success program which will in turn go a long way toward ensuring an even brighter future for the Crimson Tide's student-athletes.
Handpicked by their respective coaches, a select group of junior and senior student-athletes where chosen to serve as Emerging Tide Leaders among their peers through the Crimson Catalysts and Legacy Leaders group. Dr. Tim Elmore and his Growing Leaders staff facilitated a retreat to kick off the leadership development at the start of both the fall and spring semesters. The fall retreated focused on self-identity and building culture and community within the student-athletes' respective teams, while the spring retreat was directed toward effective communication and the transition after graduation. The Tide leaders engaged in dialogue with one another, shared experiences, and collaborated on ways to support one another as leaders on each of their respective teams.
Jessie Gardner and her staff continued to meet with those students once a month for the remainder of the academic year to dive deeper into developing their leadership, and empowering them to positively impact their teams and those around them through what they learn. The vulnerability of the leaders to share and encourage one another in these monthly meetings provided reassurance as they recognized similarities in their individual journeys.
The final meeting of the semester was a joint dinner with the first lady of Alabama Athletics, Mrs. Mary Battle, who motivated the Crimson Tide's Emerging Tide Leaders with her list of ?10 Things to Remember? that can be applied to every aspect of an individual's pursuit for success, sharing personal stories that complimented each point.
Six Career Panels were offered throughout the 2014-15 academic year providing sophomore student-athletes majoring or interested in a particular field the opportunity to gain valuable insight and advice directly from panelists involved in the respective professions. The fall panels highlighted professionals in the industry of business, engineering, and education while the spring panels included the sciences, communications and human environmental sciences. The panelists included a range of individuals from each respective college on campus, individuals from the UA Career Center, and professionals excelling in the industry.
In October, the D.R.I.V.E. For Success program hosted a career fair designed to promote connection between senior student-athletes and employers from a wide range of industries in an effort to expand their network, build confidence and nurture opportunities for professional internships or employment. A dozen companies were on hand along with more than 60 senior student-athletes. The student-athletes received education prior to the event on best practices and encouraged them to successfully interact with potential employers at the event.
The Career Fair's participants included Regions Bank, Cintas, Mercedes Benz, Tuscaloosa Police Department, US Secret Service, US Marine Corps, Northwestern Mutual, Therapy South, E&J Gallo Winery, TEKsystems and Stryker Sustainability Solutions.
In November, D.R.I.V.E. For Success put on a pair of sessions designed to educate student-athletes about the graduate school process. The first session focused on the various graduate programs offered at UA and providing information to help identify whether graduate school is the direction best suited for them. The second session was geared toward student-athletes who plan to pursue graduate school. It covered the application process and its components, entrance exams, interviews, financial aid resources and program preparation.
The Major Exploration Fair was a great opportunity for freshman student-athletes to meet academic advisors from 25 majors and minors on campus. The advisors provided information helpful for choosing the right academic program to fit their interests. Also in attendance were representatives from the UA Career Center and UA Graduate School who shared opportunities for continuing education. With an open structure similar to D.R.I.V.E. for Success' career fair, student-athletes met and actively engaged with a variety of academic advisors at their booths to discover the best academic program for them.
Majors and programs represented: Accounting, Biology, Communications, Consumer Sciences, Criminal Justice, Culverhouse Student Services, Economics/Finance, Education, Engineering Student Services, Exercise Science, Food & Nutrition, Management, Political Science, Public Relations/Advertising, Telecommunications/Film, UA Career Center and UA Graduate School.
The Networking Night event was held in March and allowed juniors to practice and polish networking skills through practical application with 23 local professionals excelling in their careers, many of whom are members of Alabama's A-Club or the 1st and Ten Club. Alabama Director of Athletics Bill Battle kicked off the event, sharing his personal experiences related to networking and how it has impacted his success, encouraging those in attendance to recognize the value of relationships. Students then engaged in several short rounds of table conversations with a number of professionals who shared their personal experiences and advice related to the art of networking. Alabama's Director of Career and Leadership Development, Jessie Gardner, provided relevant dining etiquette tips related to general networking environments, before inviting both student-athletes and professionals to continue engaging with one another throughout the final reception component. With overwhelmingly positive feedback, Networking Night will continue to be a program staple, connecting current student-athletes with former letter winners and professionals in the local community, promoting mentorship, professional development, and career opportunities.
During the week of April 19-23, in a joint effort between the Crimson Tide's Career and Leadership Development Center and Life Skills program, The University of Alabama Athletics Department and The University of Alabama Center for Sustainable Service and Volunteerism, teamed up with the National Consortium for Academics and Sport (NCAS), the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and the USOC Athletes Advisory Council to host a human trafficking awareness week titled ?Shut Out Trafficking?. The movement was founded by Dr. Richard Lapchick, who is known as ?the race and gender conscience in sports? and considered one of the ?100 most powerful people in sports? by the Sports Business Journal and espn.com. The initiative united the student body against the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, human trafficking.
The week included several events to bring awareness and engage Alabama students in this injustice issue. Dr. Lapchick and a U.S. Fund for UNICEF representative, Malea Otranto kicked off the week with a keynote address in Coleman Coliseum, sharing facts and statistics regarding human trafficking and how it specifically affects our home state of Alabama. Students and student-athletes took the charge to ?Shut Out Trafficking? by hosting a Kick-Off Campaign at the Ferguson Student Center on campus the following day. The student-athletes also utilized a social media blast, providing facts and videos featuring student-athletes from all 21 varsity athletics teams on the issue of human trafficking. The themed hashtag #ShutOutHT recorded a reach of close to 3 million people throughout the day. As the week progressed, there was also a Sleep Out on the Soccer Field at the Alabama Soccer Stadium that featured Bryson Vogeltanz, an advocate for the END IT Movement, video documentaries with corresponding discussions and the real-life story of a homeless UA student.
The week culminated in the Shut Out Trafficking Alabama softball game vs. Tennessee at Rhoads Stadium. The first 1,500 fans in attendance received a free ?#ShutOutHT? wristband worn by the Alabama players and staff during the game.
Over the week, Alabama's efforts reached 6,481 people directly and 4.9 million people through social media. Throughout the initiative, Crimson Tide students were highly collaborative, volunteering in various capacities to make this event a success.
