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The University of New England’s Athletics Department will be launching its Nor’easter Adopt-a-Team Program, which is designed to further bridge the gap between academics and athletics. This new initiative’s goal is to create a mutually-beneficial relationship between the UNE faculty and varsity athletics teams. Through this program, faculty members will have the ability to become increasingly involved in a particular sport and serve in a mentor role to the student-athletes.
The main purpose of the Adopt-a-Team program is to give students on each team a faculty member who can come to better understand the challenges of being a serious student and athlete, and articulate those issues to the faculty. The faculty mentor will be able to help these students balance their roles as effectively as possible. The program will illustrate to the students that the University is supportive of the athlete’s dual commitment to excellence in sports and to the Institution’s overall academic mission.
The program is designed to allow for some flexibility with regards to the exact role that faculty members play with their teams. Ideally, when a faculty member is formally assigned to a sport, the mentor will meet with the head coach and the Athletics Academic Advisor to discuss ideas or ways that they can best serve the team. Over time, the faculty member is expected to establish an ongoing professional relationship with the coaching staff and students that allows for open communication. The Department of Athletics would also like the faculty mentor to meet with the student-athletes to discuss how to balance participation on a team with strong academic performance. In many cases, the faculty member will have valuable information in terms of ways to develop good relationships with professors, effective means to participate in class and ways to seek help academically.
The varsity teams are expected to reciprocate the faculty’s involvement by incorporating them into the daily routines of the team. This can take many forms, but the coaching staff should keep the mentor apprised of the team’s practice and game schedules. The coaches will find other creative ways to involve the mentors with the student-athletes – which could include traveling to away events, attending team dinners, speaking at team meetings, participating in practice sessions, etc.
Any faculty member that is interested in being a founding member of this exciting new venture is invited to contact Dawne-Marie Dunbar
ddunbar@une.edu or call (207) 221-4456 for more details or questions. If you are a student wishing to nominate a faculty member to be a team mentor, contact Dawne-Marie Dunbar at
ddunbar@une.edu
Current Mentors:
Basketball, Men's
Dawne-Marie Dunbar - WCHP Department of Nursing
Rick LaRue - CAS Department of Business and Communications
Sue Frost - Athletics Academic Advisor
Basketball, Women's
Lorraine Pecchia - CAS Learning Assistance Services and Department of Psychology
Andy Biggs - Athletics Academic Advisor
Field Hockey
Katie Hawke MS - WCHP Department of Exercise Science and Sport Performance
Kasey Keenan - Athletics Academic Advisor
Ice Hockey
Kristen Bailey - WCHP Department of Sports and Exercise Science/Athletic Training
Chris Rizzo - WCHP Department of Sports and Exercise Science/Athletic Training
Sue Frost - Athletics Academic Advisor
Softball
Ed Bilsky - COM Center of Excellence in Neurosciences
Kasey Keenan - Athletics Academic Advisor
Swimming
Amy Quinn M.A. - Director of Health and Wellness Education | WCHP Applied Exercise Science
Leah Bymers - Instructor, CAS Department of Marine Sciences
Andy Biggs - Athletics Academic Advisor
Still Seeking Mentors:
Cross Country, Men's
Cross Country, Women's
Golf
Lacrosse, Men's
Lacrosse, Women's
Soccer, Men's
Soccer, Women's
Volleyball