Bridge Program to be Highlighted at National Conference

Corvallis – A Fulbright Grant recipient, postgraduate scholarship awardees and graduate school admissions; it’s been a successful year on and off the field for Oregon State University Athletics. The drive to continue that trend has been noticed by the National ACademic ADvising Association (NACADA) as a team of four from Oregon State University has been invited to Colorado Springs later this month for the inaugural Academic Reform Institute.

Kate Halischak, OSU’s Director of Student-Athlete Academic Services, will join Moira Dempsey (Dir. of Academic Success Center), Urmila Mali (Equal Opportunities Program tutor coordinator) and Katrina Grubert (student-athlete academic counselor) for the two-day seminar.

“Our team hopes that the Institute will help us identify ways to engage the University community in a network of guidance and support, providing student-athletes with the structure, balance and continuity that will help them achieve their academic and athletic goals,” Halischak said.

Oregon State’s student-athletes have had a banner year academically, with 47 percent of approximately 500 student-athletes possessing a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00. The program anticipates completing the year with 117 Pac-10 All-Academic selections, including leading the league in several sports for scholarly achievers.

“We’ve had a very special year in a lot of ways academically and athletically,” said Halischak, who spent 12 years as the Director of Academic Services at the University of Notre Dame. “There are a lot of people who deserve credit for the achievements of the student-athletes, but none more than the student-athletes themselves. It takes tremendous commitment to excel in the classroom and athletically.”

NACADA has partnered with the NCAA to offer the special conference – “A Game Plan for Student-Athlete Success to NCAA Division I-member institutions.” The two-day event will highlight the best practices from across the nation that contribute to successful institutional support for Division I student-athletes.

The OSU team will focus on its “Bridge Encouraging Successful Transition (BEST)” program, which began in the summer of 2006. The program is a residential academic-intensive experience designed to prepare entering and transfer students for study at OSU. The Bridge helps students learn how to develop good study habits, manage time and finances, navigate through the university and much more. This program has been piloted for student-athletes with the intention of expanding the program to all at-risk students in the future.

“The Bridge program has had a huge impact for our newcomers to the team,” Beaver head football coach Mike Riley said. “The program jump starts our student-athletes during a time when their demands aren’t quite the same as they are during the traditional academic year. In just one year I have noticed tremendous academic improvement by our younger student-athletes.”

The Bridge program includes an orientation period where student-athletes are introduced to campus life, an assessment period where counselors develop specific programs and classes for each individual, enriched learning experiences that include team building activities and academic course work.

Click for more information on the National ACademic ADvising Association or click for more information on the Bridge Program.