The Athletic Department has begun a program for faculty members to serve as mentors on various athletic teams.

In a December letter to faculty, Kacy Manning, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee advisor and head field hockey coach, said the program promotes cooperation between intercollegiate athletics and administrative areas and encourages interactions between student-athletes and faculty.

The program is just getting started, but Mary Jo Gunning, PhD, director of athletics and recreation, is excited about its possibilities.

“It is still in its infancy, but we have several interested faculty and staff members,” said Gunning.

Gunning hopes to be meeting with those individuals sometime soon. From there, the department and each participant could figure out what team might be a good fit, how to coordinate schedules, and how each could best interact with the athletes.

“We see our student-athletes as individuals first, as students second, and as athletes third. I think the marriage between being a student and being an athlete is very doable, and this can make the bridge much stronger. I think it’s a worthy endeavor,” said Gunning.

Manning also expressed similar sentiments, emphasizing how Marywood’s students excel both on and off the field and how a better connection with faculty could prove helpful.

“Our student-athletes excel in the classroom, and they put in a lot of time outside the classroom into their sports, so being able to talk with faculty about issues or problems they may have, seeing each other’s points of view, could be very helpful,” said Manning.

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