BATON ROUGE, La. – Brenton Sumler, manager of the Shaquille O’Neal Life Skills Program within the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes, has been selected to participate in the NCAA Leadership Academy Workshop which takes place this summer in Phoenix, Arizona and Indianapolis, Indiana.
The NCAA Leadership Academy Workshop educates and trains athletics administrators on the ins and outs of developing effective, comprehensive leadership curriculum for student-athletes and department staff. Participants in the workshop learn how to structure activities, facilitate discussions and structure effective sessions.
“Being accepted into the NCAA Leadership Academy Workshop is important not only to my own professional development but the overall development of our student-athletes. As a participant, I will gain skills that will equip me with the tools to create and implement a leadership academy that meets the unique needs of our student-athletes here at LSU,” Sumler said. “This opportunity enhances our ability to support our mission of providing a holistic approach that fosters civic responsibility, lifelong learning, and critical thinking that encourages independence into adulthood for the student-athletes that represent LSU every day,” Sumler said.
Over two sessions, the selected participants will explore the ideal frameworks for a leadership academy, discuss the best practices for implementation, learn evaluation methods, and investigate the best strategies to obtain buy-in from key stakeholders and the campus community.
“The NCAA Leadership Workshop Academy is a valuable resource for institutional staff training. We are excited about the opportunity for Brenton to be involved with the Leadership Development program and expect that the training received will provide a framework for implementing leadership programs for our student-athletes,” LSU Senior Woman Administrator Miriam Segar said.
The Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes is a 54,000 square foot facility comprised of academic affairs, student affairs and an information technology teams, serving more than 530 student-athletes. The purpose is to provide an all-inclusive, student-centered support structure for all student-athletes from matriculation, through graduation and life beyond.