Austin College Athletics staff and administrators have challenged 'Roo Nation to reach a goal of 250 donors and $200,000 raised before the current academic year closes on June 30, 2018.
"Thanks to the contributions of College alumni and supporters to Athletics Enrichment and to our Apple Challenge over the last several years, the Austin College Athletics program and the nearly 400 student-athletes who represent our teams in competition have benefited tremendously," said David Norman '83, director of athletics. In 2016-2017, 165 donors contributed a total of $150,000 to these efforts. To date in 2017-2018, 115 individuals have shown support, with gifts totaling $115,000.
Each year, in order to maintain the resources and experiences provided to student-athletes, Austin College relies on direct support through contributions from alumni and friends. "However, we want to do more than just maintain; we want to increase our ability to effectively recruit, train, and grow great student-athletes prepared to take on challenges in sports competition and in the classroom," Norman said.
The goal of 250 donors is less than 10 percent of the more-than-3,800 living athletics alumni. Gifts from alumni not only provide direct support to the teams but alumni giving rates are seen as a sign of alumni approval of their own experiences which also affects Austin College's national rankings. Those rankings make an impact upon prospective students' views of to the College and upon foundations throughout the country from whom the College may seek grants and gifts.
Three main areas for each sport have been positively influenced through generous Athletics Enrichment and Apple Challenge gifts: travel, uniforms, and assistant coaching positions. These areas are critical in recruiting, developing, and keeping talented student-athletes at Austin College.
Team travel: Both the quality and safety of team travel has improved in recent years, as teams now have the funding to fly to contests that are 10 or more driving hours away from Sherman, and chartered buses driven by professional drivers are used for trips within the 10-hour window. On average, the department also spends $30 per day for each student-athlete while on the road. These improvements over past years improve the experience of the teams and enable them to be better prepared for road competitions.
New uniforms: New uniforms, now purchased for each team every three years, also improve the experience for Austin College student-athletes while enhancing recruiting efforts and positively promoting the Athletics program. "Gone are the days when student-athletes wear the same uniform throughout their entire college career—and those were already hand-me-downs from previous student-athletes," Norman said.
Assistant coaches: Increasing and improving the assistant coaching positions is a critical component of college athletics. "These roles enhance our ability to recruit and train successful student-athletes effectively," Norman said. "With growing roster sizes, assistant coaches are becoming more and more critical in our ability to win and provide positive experiences for our student-athletes. The challenge for 250 donors and $200,000 raised goes out to our athletic alumni as we ask them to continue to be a part of our storied athletics program by supporting the 'Roos at www.austincollege.edu/athletics-enrichment."