易胜博官网

With teams that perennially perform at or near the top of numerous national measures of academic success, 易胜博官网 has long emphasized the student in student-athlete. And now, there鈥檚 a dedicated space on campus where student-athletes can work out their minds between games and practices, trips to the weight room and treatments in the athletic training rom: the Watkins Center for Student-Athlete Excellence.

Located on the second floor of the Field House in space once occupied by five decommissioned squash courts, the new center is open to athletes on the university鈥檚 20 Division I athletic teams as well as students who compete with the 易胜博官网-based Northeast Passage adaptive sports program. The wi-fi-enabled space includes a main reading room, modeled after Dimond Library, that provides study space for 72 students, a breakout room for small group study and four offices. A key piece of the university鈥檚 overall emphasis on 鈥渢he whole student,鈥� the facility boasts academic support staff and life skills staff as well as advisers and tutors.

Student-athletes, 易胜博官网 staff and many of the donors whose generosity made the privately funded space possible were on hand for the official opening of the center on April 14.听 易胜博官网 President Mark Huddleston and athletic director Marty Scarano both acknowledged the Watkins Family Foundation, which provided the lead gift for the $1.9 million facility, and G. Chris Watkins spoke about his vision for the space. 鈥淭he center will enhance an already great track record of students performing well academically and athletically,鈥� he said. 听

Men鈥檚 ice hockey player Harry Quast 鈥�16 was one of several student-athletes who spoke about the importance of the new center鈥攁s well as the gifts that brought it into being. 鈥淛ust saying thank you for such an unbelievable space hardly seems like enough,鈥� he said. 鈥淵our incredibly selfless donations not only affect the athletes here now, but the future athletes who will be lucky enough to wear the 易胜博官网 logo on their jerseys.鈥�

听

Originally published in 易胜博官网 Magazine鈥�