Tulane Waves Goodbye to Graduating Student-Athletes
May 16, 2008 | General
May 16, 2008
New Orleans - The Tulane University Athletic Department held a reception honoring its 2008 graduating seniors Friday afternoon in the Hall of Fame Room at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center for Intercollegiate Athletics.
Tulane sends off its 52 graduating student-athletes to pursue careers within and outside the realm of athletics. The reception provided an opportunity for the Tulane community to thank the student-athletes for their hard work and service to the athletic department during their time at the university. Personnel from all over campus were invited - from the athletic department and the faculty, to admissions, financial aid and housing - to congratulate the seniors.
"It's an opportunity to get all the different groups together and go out on a good note," said Shawn McWashington, Director of Student-Athlete Academic Services at Tulane. "(The Student-Athletes) are happy at this time of year, especially when they can show their family and friends where they've spent their last four years. It gives them a chance to shake hands and meet different personnel. Everybody is just always appreciative."
Senior women's basketball player Alendra Brown and her parents enjoyed the reception.
"This shows that they really care about us. For (the athletic department) to invite us here to show their appreciation - that means a lot," Brown said. "The bottom line is that they care, and you want to be in a welcoming environment. This is Tulane," Brown said.
Tulane University student-athletes recently received excellent marks on the national level for their performance in the classroom, as all eight of the school's current varsity sports teams scored well above their national averages in the most recent multi-year Academic Performance Rates (APR) which was released on Tuesday by the NCAA.
For the third straight year, Tulane's varsity teams exceeded the national average with all five women's squads (basketball, cross country, indoor track, outdoor track and volleyball) receiving a perfect score of 1,000 for the 2006-07 year, while the Green Wave baseball (975), men's basketball (980) and football (988) teams each finished in the upper echelon among NCAA men's programs.
