University of Richmond Athletics
Services for Spider Student-Athletes
University of Richmond Athletics
Academic Advising: Academic advising at the University of Richmond operates under a “developmental” model. This approach encourages close interaction between advisor and advisee over time as both the advisor/advisee relationship and the student grow and develop. It also encourages a holistic view of the student with the advisor supporting the student through a range of choices including major/minor selection, course selection, participation in valuable co-curricular experiences, and even social-group/extra-curricular choices.
More specifically, the athletic academic staff serves as primary or secondary academic advisors to Spider student-athletes. Our staff provides primary or additional support to student-athletes, assisting them with coordinating their courses, internships, study abroad, and other experiences in conjunction with the demands of their sport(s). As athletic academic advisors we work in partnership with faculty advisors, department chairs, and deans to ensure a seamless “team approach” to academic advising for student-athletes.
Academic Counseling/Coaching: In addition to academic advising, our staff provides academic support for student-athletes to help them develop the skills they need to be successful students; this includes, but is not limited to, time management, assignment management, writing, reading comprehension, study skills, and test taking strategies. The type of support provided to each student-athlete is individualized and determined by the student’s needs. This support is provided in the form of one-on-one meetings, group meetings, and programming.
Study Abroad: “Study abroad is an essential part of a University of Richmond education, the hallmark of which is the semester or year abroad.” Although we have student-athletes participating in a diverse array of study abroad experiences, studying abroad is challenging due to their athletic commitments and training demands. In an effort to provide our student-athletes with additional study abroad options to further enrich experience at the university, in collaboration with the Foreign Language Department, a study abroad opportunity incorporating an athletic training component has been created.
“Athletics and Academics” in Spain is a 5-week study abroad program in which student-athletes travel to Spain both to take a course and to train for their sport(s). In Spain student-athletes take LAIS 221: Intensive Intermediate Spanish: a course that satisfies their general education language (COM2) requirement. In addition to taking this course, student-athletes train in a training facility utilized by other athletes. Our strength and conditioning coach has traveled to Spain to visit this facility and has developed training programs accordingly. This opportunity allows our student-athletes to not only maintain their training programs, but experience a life changing opportunity while taking a course that fulfills a graduation requirement.
Study Hall: To provide a structured, accountable environment for our student-athletes, study hall is implemented for all teams based on their needs. Each academic advisor works with the team and coaches to determine requirements, hours, location, and structure.
Travel Letters: Travel letters are provided to all student-athletes to distribute to their professors; these forms include information such as dates, times, and travel roster. Travel letters are provided either at the beginning of the season or one week prior to each away game, depending on the sport. Providing travel letters to faculty allows student-athletes to engage in conversation with their professors regarding their athletic participation and the impact on class progress (i.e., missed class, assignments, exams, etc.). In addition, follow up communication with faculty regarding extenuating circumstances such as illness, death in a family, etc. is provided.
Tutoring: Free tutoring is offered to all students through the Academic Skills Center. Academic support staff works with student-athletes to help connect them to the Academic Skills Center to receive the one-on-one tutoring. If tutoring is unavailable for a specific class or conflicts with athletic requirements, the athletics academic support staff works in conjunction with the Academic Skills Center and faculty to arrange tutoring for that student or subject.
Writing Consultants: Writing consultants are available to all students through the Writing Center. To provide additional assistance to our student-athletes, writing consultants are available at the Robins Center during student-athlete study hall times and additional times during the day, which are determined by the academic support staff. Having Writing Consultants available at the Robins Center provides another opportunity for our student-athletes to access the help they need built around the demands of their sport schedule.