Prof. Don Collins
Academic Counselor for Student-Athletes

As the Academic Counselor for Student-Athletes in addition to being a member of the COLA faculty, I have had the opportunity to observe students-athletes in their dual roles of student and athlete.  I have always expressed to them my bias that student was intentionally the first part of that name, and our student-athletes have responded well to that philosophy.

It is useful to understand the difficulty that a student-athlete has in trying to accomplish a high level of success in both the academic and the athletic realms.  Time management is critical, and the pressures relative to both can sometimes be overwhelming.  We faculty sometimes forget the high level of demand which occurs at certain times in the semester, and coaches also forget how much pressure and time demands are placed upon their athletes.  At one time NCAA forbid student-athletes to have a part-time job, but that restriction no longer exists, so many of our student-athletes also have part-time jobs in addition to the time demands of academics and athletics. 

With that frame work, I am pleased that our student-athletes compete at very high levels in both academics and athletics.  Our female student-athletes consistently have higher GPA’s than their non-athlete peers, and the male student-athletes’ GPA’s are not significantly different from their non-athlete peers. 

It is also rewarding to recognize the advantages which student-athletes can realize.  Leadership opportunities, ability to make decisions under stress, and developing a competitive spirit are among special rewards for student-athletes.  I have also observed that graduates who have been student-athletes often show high levels of success in the workplace and in graduate school.

Please join me in supporting our COLA as well as other UF student-athletes.  They appreciate our support.  It is usual for a student-athlete to come to me and thank me for attending an event in which he/she had participated.  Thank you for your support.