Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/797655
A C A D E M I C S Morgan Center celebrated as key academic asset Penn State's new Morgan Academic Center, is, in many ways, a physical manifestation of the attitude the univer- sity hopes to instill in its student-ath- letes. The walls of the lobby are lined with photos of some of Penn State's all-time great student-athletes competing on the 2eld. Accompanying the photos is a strong reminder of the importance of academics. The phrase "We Are..." ap- pears in big blue lettering above three numbers: Penn State's gradua- tion success rate (89 percent) and lists of its 5,654 Academic All-Big Ten honorees and 195 CoSIDA Academic All-Ameri- cans. Athletic director Sandy Bar- bour said that the environment in the Morgan Center is meant to portray the "duality of suc- cess," which she sees as an es- sential part of the culture at Penn State. "Certainly, we have always talked about wanting to make sure that we have displayed our success, and that we have constant reminders of 'we can get better,' " Barbour said. In February, Penn State celebrated those academic achievements at an event in which it unveiled its new aca- demic numbers. On hand were Tyler Yazujian of the football team and Haleigh Washington of the women's volleyball team. Both were added to the list of Penn State's Academic All-Amer- icans, having now won recognition for the second consecutive year. The graduation success rate of all Penn State's student-athletes ticked up from 88 to 89 percent this year, coming within 1 percent of the school's all-time mark in that category. "I think we keep getting a little bit bet- ter," Barbour said. "These 2ve semesters have been our highest in terms of [total] numbers of students over a 3.0. I think [that] our graduation rate, as high as it is, is something that I would like to continue to improve. Our all-time historic high is 90 percent. I'd like to get to there and maybe surpass that." Barbour said the school's success is a result of a continuous commitment, not a single initiative. "It's something that needs constant care and feeding," she said. "It's not like you have a really good academic year and it's like, 'OK, we're done. We're there.' It's an everyday thing, and I'm really, re- ally proud of the e4ort of our student- athletes, our coaches, our faculty, our sta4, our Morgan Center advisors. It's de2nitely a team e4ort." Barbour added that the Morgan Cen- ter, which opened last summer, has played an important role in the univer- sity's ongoing academic success. She cited the facility's versatility as a key to its usefulness as resource for all stu- dent-athletes. "The feedback has been really good, she said. "[It's a] one-stop shopping kind of idea. [Students] can see their ad- visors, they can see some kind of spe- cialist. Our student-athlete development and welfare is also located here. So they have lots of resources that they can come and take advantage of here. I think the other aspect of it that students have really grabbed onto is that it's so 3exible. There are so many di4er- ent kinds of spaces." In a school year that has been 2lled with on-2eld success – Penn State's 2ve Big Ten championships to date are the most of any conference member – Bar- bour is determined to pair the champi- onship trophies with academic laurels. "It's part of Penn State's DNA," Bar- bour said. "It's part of our success with honor. It's who we are, it's always been a part of our culture, it's always been a part of the standard here. I, certainly, as the athletic director today want to make sure that I do my part to uphold that, so it's going to be a huge priority for us every day." –DAVID ECKERT STUDY HALL The Morgan Center opened last sum- mer on the site of the former Green- berg Ice Pavilion. It serves as the academic hub for more than 800 PSU student-ath- letes. Photo by Patrick Mansell