Campus Life

A.D. Scott Woodward Discusses Interaction Between Athletics And Academics With Faculty Senate

Texas A&M Director of Athletics Scott Woodward addressed the Faculty Senate at its monthly meeting Monday, citing the interaction between academics and athletics.
October 11, 2016

Texas A&M Director of Athletics Scott Woodward
Texas A&M Director of Athletics Scott Woodward

(Texas A&M)

Texas A&M Director of Athletics Scott Woodward addressed the Faculty Senate at its monthly meeting Monday, citing the interaction between academics and athletics and assuring the professors and others attending the session that he considers the Department of Athletics to be very much a part of the University—not a separate entity. He also underscored the academic accomplishments of the university’s student-athletes.

What follows is a full transcript of his remarks.

“Howdy! Thank you, Dr. Bierman, for the invitation to address the Faculty Senate and I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity. It is my hope that we can begin a regular, productive dialogue as we look for new ways to collaborate and best serve our great university.

I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize members of our Athletics Council who are in attendance today. This dedicated group of faculty members meets with our Athletics leadership team on a monthly basis and serves as a great resource on major issues impacting athletics and academics across the country. The Council is also involved in many of the policy decisions we make within the Athletics Department. Let me thank you for your service.

Dr. Bierman requested that I speak with you today about the interaction between academics and athletics. Let me first be absolutely clear about one thing– Athletics is a part of the University, just as the Bush School, the College of Liberal Arts, and Student Affairs programs all play a role. We are not a separate entity. We should not overshadow the University, although on football Saturdays it may seem like it. We are here as a department in the greater University setting, as we all work together to fulfill Texas A&M’s purpose of “developing leaders of character dedicated to serving the greater good.”

Some of you may already know that I did not start my higher education career in athletics, but rather in the administration at LSU and then at the University of Washington … While working together at UW, President Young and I forged a strong relationship and shared a common vision for the role athletics plays within the university.

Our mission within Texas A&M Athletics revolves around three major objectives. First, we are going to graduate our student-athletes – this is something we take very seriously. Second, we are going to provide our student-athletes with an unmatched collegiate experience – one that only Texas A&M can provide. Finally, we are going to win championships – SEC championships and national championships – with integrity and in compliance with SEC and NCAA guidelines.

Since arriving in Aggieland in February, it has become clear that we have a solid foundation to build upon. Let me share a few facts from this past year about our student-athletes. And note that the word student does comes first.

  • We had a record 314 student-athletes earn a 3.0 GPA or above in the spring semester. That’s 57 percent of our student-athletes. 140 of these superstars earned a GPA of 3.5 or above. The average GPA for all of our student-athletes was 2.96.
  • Nearly half of our sports programs posted a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. Women’s swimming led the way with a 3.44 GPA, and our men’s basketball team posted a 3.13 GPA. And by the way, both of those teams won SEC Championships.
  • A record 283 of our student-athletes were named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
  • 80 of our student-athletes earned a degree from Texas A&M last spring, a lifelong achievement that will advance them well past where athletics could ever take them. Over the last five years, our graduation success rate has increased from 72 percent to 78 percent.

Our football team posted a 2.7 cumulative GPA in the spring semester – a mark that continues to improve each semester under Coach Sumlin – and 35 of our football student-athletes earned a 3.0 GPA or better in the spring.

I’m asked quite often about the majors of our student-athletes. We currently have 613 student-athletes in 84 different majors, led by Business Administration in Management with 52 student-athletes. I’m also proud to report that we have 63 student-athletes majoring in engineering, math or science.

Each and every year, each and every day, Texas A&M demonstrates that success in academics and athletics are not mutually exclusive. As evidence, Texas A&M finished the 2015-16 season as the only Division 1 school in the country to send every one of our sports teams to their respective postseason. Thirteen of our programs finished ranked in the top 25.

We claimed four team championships in the roughest, toughest athletics conference in the country – the SEC. Texas A&M won regular-season conference championships in volleyball – our first in school history – women’s swimming and diving, and men’s basketball. We also won the SEC Tournament title in baseball.

Since joining the SEC in 2012, Texas A&M has asserted itself as a dominant player in the league across all sports, winning 16 total team titles, ranking behind only Florida and Arkansas. And last year, we were the only SEC school to have our football team play in a bowl game and our men’s basketball and baseball teams advance to the NCAA Tournament.

We concluded last year by placing 12th in the final Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, which is a measure of the top overall athletics programs in the country. Texas A&M has finished 12th or better in six of the past seven years.

But we aren’t satisfied. We aim to be better, and we will continue to improve academically and athletically across the board. And, as I mentioned previously, we aim to be better partners in the university community. A few examples of efforts that are already underway:

We have a strong partnership with the Office of Undergraduate Studies, working with Dr. Ann Kenimer to ensure that athletics is part of the university’s academic structure.

We are working with the Provost’s Office to celebrate the accomplishments of our faculty during football games and many of our other athletics events. On Saturday, we recognized the 100th anniversary of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Our 12th Man Productions video group has partnered with the College of Engineering to recruit 12 student engineers who are working with ESPN, the SEC Network and our in-venue video technology — Talk about great career experience.

Each of our teams selects a charity partner for the season in which our student-athletes paint houses, raise money for cancer research, conduct food drives and support many other worthwhile causes. This is in addition to participating in university-wide events such as Move-In Day and The Big Event.

Two weeks ago, we announced a new partnership with the Mays Business School for a “Leading Champions” program this spring, in which several of our head coaches will partner with faculty members to teach a three-day executive leadership program.

Next week, our student-athletes will join other student leaders on campus to introduce an event titled “Aggies Are More.” They have invited noted speaker Dr. Derek Greenfield to the Hall of Champions to address our campus about diversity, inclusion, team building and student motivation.

Of course, there are many other examples of athletic and academic collaborations, in addition to the tremendous support that many of you provide directly to our student-athletes each and every day in the classrooms and research labs. I can tell you that this is just the beginning, and we look forward to what the future holds.

It’s always a special time to be an Aggie. And I am honored to be along for this journey with each and every one of you. Thank you for your continued support of Texas A&M Athletics, as well as for your time today

Thanks, again, for this special opportunity, and Gig ’em!”

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