The purpose of the Faculty Partner Program is to facilitate interaction between faculty, student-athletes, and coaches in a personal setting that encourages active engagement and open dialogue in order to enhance the student-athlete experience. The Faculty Partner Program is intended to promote an awareness and appreciation of the NCAA Division II Life in the Balance philosophy which emphasizes participation in high-level athletic competition within a comprehensive program of learning and development.
Current Participants
Men’s Soccer
- Faculty member: Sudeep Sharma, PhD, Associate Professor, Management, Marketing, and Operations
- Coach: Graham Shaw, Head Coach, Men’s Soccer
Volleyball
- Faculty Member: Elise LoBue, PhD, Instructor, Capital Scholars Program
- Coach: Kamille Jones, Head Coach, Women’s Volleyball
Men's Basketball
- Coach: Matt Brock, Head Coach, Men’s Basketball
- Faculty: Jae Yom, PhD, Assistant Professor, Exercise Science
Softball
- Faculty member: Angela Doehring, Clinical Assistant Professor, Exercise Science
- Coach: Shannon Guthrie, Head Coach, Softball
Men's + Women's Golf
- Faculty Member: Marcel Yoder, PhD, CMPC, Professor, Exercise Science
- Coach: Mike Leotta, Head Coach, Men’s and Women’s Golf
Women's Soccer
- Faculty member: Open
- Coach: Scott Myers, Head Coach, Women’s Soccer
Women's Basketball
- Faculty member: Open
- Coach: Olivia Lett, Head Coach, Women’s Basketball
Baseball
- Faculty: Nicole Meismer, MA, Math Coordinator, Learning Hub
- Coach: Trevor Forde, Head Coach, Baseball
Men's + Women's Tennis
- Faculty: David Bertaina, PhD, Professor, History
- Coach: Ross Graham, Head Coach, Men’s and Women’s Tennis
Men's + Women's Track & Cross-country
- Faculty member: Open
- Coach: Emmons King, Interim Head Coach, Men’s and Women’s Track & Cross Country
Goals
For Faculty:
- Provide faculty an opportunity for personal mentoring with student-athletes;
- Develop an understanding of the demands placed on student-athletes to balance academics, athletics, and other activities;
- Demonstrate to students and coaches that faculty are interested in student-athletes’ academic and personal well-being;
- Develop an understanding on the demands placed on coaches
For Student-Athletes:
- Have an opportunity to share with a faculty member what life as a student-athlete is like;
- Have student-athletes’ hard work and sacrifice acknowledged by someone outside athletics;
- Provide students with an opportunity to interact with faculty outside the classroom;
- Learn about faculty member’s academic interest
For Coaches:
- Demonstrate coach’s philosophy of Life in the Balance and focus on coaches’ interest in student-athletes’ lives outside of athletics (e.g., in the classroom);
- Develop an understanding of the barriers that athletic participation can pose for students’ academic success;
- Demonstrate to faculty the demands required of coaches;
- Interact with a greater number of faculty on campus
For All:
Enhance communication and increase common understanding of our different approaches, yet shared focus on the students’ success;Increase student-athlete retention and graduation rates
Program Description
Contact Information
Marcel Yoder, PhD, Faculty Athletics Representative
Professor, Exercise Science Program
Phone: (217) 206-7228
Office: Student Life Building, 16C
Email Marcel Yoder