CLEVELAND – The National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A) is thrilled to announce its first-ever white paper on student-athlete development.

"For the past two years, thought leaders in our industry developed a framework where an institution at any level can find an avenue to develop a student-athlete development program that fits their unique needs," said Mark Trumbo, assistant athletics director at Syracuse University. "This process also now gives N4A the ability to provide additional support within the program reviews in an effort to continue to raise the professional standard among student-athlete development programs and encourage a broader range of understanding of best practices and successful operations."

The Student-Athlete Development Task Force was comprised of a diverse group of professionals to ensure multiple perspectives were brought to the table. Over the past two years, this group has committed to the process and given college athletics a complete look at the components, competencies, outcomes, and evaluation methods of a holistic student-athlete development program.

"This was an inclusive process that involved a diverse set of minds within our illustrious industry," stated Lamarr Pottinger, associate director of leadership development at the NCAA. "College athletics is shifting, and student-athlete development needs to be at the forefront of the future of college athletics. There is still work to be done, but we are hopeful this white paper will provide a foundation for student-athlete development moving forward."

This is a major milestone for the industry of student-athlete development as the white paper creates common language, a blueprint for professionals to develop skills, and standards within our framework. It also provides recommendations, standards, and assessments to effectively shape our industry for the years ahead. Throughout the document, four key deliverables are identified:

1. Establish standards/guidelines for programs offered within the identified pillars
2. Create competencies/outcomes for student-athletes upon graduation(s)
3. Create professional competencies for student-athlete development practitioners
4. Provide a blueprint for measuring and reporting the impact of programming

A workshop session will be held Monday, June 27 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. PDT during the N4A National Convention, where discussion will examine how institutions can adopt the principles and practices highlighted within the white paper.

About N4A: N4A, which has been in existence since 1975, is a diverse educational service and professional non-profit organization. Membership of N4A includes academic support and student services personnel who are committed to enhancing opportunities for academic, athletics and personal success for student-athletes. For more information on N4A, visit www.nfoura.org. N4A is administered by NACDA, which is in its 57th year. For more information on NACDA and the 18 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.