Career Athletes will provide Seattle U athletics with the ability to enhance fundraising and recruiting efforts while securing thousands of meaningful career opportunities for alumni athletes nationwide. The Online Career Community Network will provide benefits such as mentoring, professional networking, virtual career coaching, and 12 years of best practices from the largest career services organization assisting athletes, athletics departments, and campus career centers.
The Seattle University "Community Network" consists of current and alumni athletes from the institution as well as local, regional and national employers all managed and monitored by Career Athletes at its home office in the Kansas City area.
"We are thrilled to add Career Athletes for our student-athletes and alumni," Erin Engelhardt, Seattle University Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Performance/SWA, said. "The program adds to the list of great resources Seattle University student-athletes utilize in preparing for the future."
"We are pleased to assist Seattle U athletics with its commitment toward career development of athletes, but it is also just as important to recognize the program's culture of achievement in community service, academic performance, and athletic success," said D.J. Washington, Vice President for Career Education and Training at Career Athletes.
Seattle U is no stranger to success as indicated by its academic achievements during the 2009-10 academic year. With a grade point average of 3.9 or above, 85 student-athletes made the President's List, while 155 student-athletes made the Dean's List with GPAs of 3.5-3.899. 128 student-athletes reached the President's or Dean's lists every quarter, and the varsity sports teams combined for a 3.154 grade point average.
Student-athletes at Seattle University have assisted in several community service projects involving the Rotary Boys and Girls Club, assisting with a holiday toy drive, a field day in the spring, and all-boys and all-girls sports clinics. Also, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) organized the annual Faculty/Staff vs. Student Basketball Challenge, engaging the campus and surrounding community in raising $2,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
As a member of Career Athletes, individuals have access to over 65,000 former student-athletes and over 5,000 nationwide career opportunities. For more information about the organization, go to www.careerathletes.com.
The Seattle University athletics department will begin Year Three of the four-year reclassification process towards Division I membership on August 1, 2010. Part of the department's mission statement in action is "to create an athletic culture where student-athletes can realize balanced success in academics, athletics, and in all their collegiate pursuits and experiences."