W.A.V.E. Student-Athlete Enhancement

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The Tulane Athletics W.A.V.E. Student-Athlete Enhancement Program

The Tulane W.A.V.E. (Well-rounded Athletes Vying for Excellence) Student-Athlete Enhancement Program, with support from Katherine B. & Robert M. Devlin, Jill & Avram Glazer, Valerie and Michael McKeever, and Larry Gordan, is a fully comprehensive and engaging initiative focused on academic, personal, professional, and leadership development, community engagement, and culture and belonging efforts. Made up of both mandatory and optional programming, we collaborate with several key campus and community partners that also champion holistic student success. It is our goal that, by the time our student-athletes graduate from Tulane, they will not only have a degree from one of the top universities in the country, but they will also have a better understanding of themselves and their future. The W.A.V.E. Student-Athlete Enhancement Program individually focuses on each classification, their needs at that time, fulfilling those needs, and preparing them for the next step in their journey. Given the importance of career and leadership, culture and belonging almost all of our programming and events will have these themes woven into its learning objectives.

Year One

Our focus for year one is a successful transition from high school to college. During the first year, student-athletes will enroll in our Summer Bridge programming and Fall Transition course, TYLR 1000: Taylor Your Tulane. This class will focus on growing mindsets and providing the tools to support first-year student-athletes in their quest to designing a fulfilling college experience. Such topics include, but are not limited to, healthy transition, majors and minor exploration, career development, academic and personal branding and success, athletic identity, culture and belonging, social media, NCAA rules and regulations, mental health, and leadership. First-year students will also participate in year one of our financial literacy program, which affords an introduction to financial literacy topics such as saving, budgeting, credit & credit scores, and compound interest.

Year Two

Our focus in year two is developing their personal and leadership skills and provide a deeper dive into career development. During a student-athlete’s second year, all sophomores will participate in our Leadership and Mental Health Academy. This initiative will focus on enhancing our student-athletes’ mental health awareness in themselves and others, emotional intelligence, empathy, and servant leadership skills. These skills will prepare them for leadership roles in the coming years as upperclassmen. This year will also provide a deeper introduction to careers as we will be focusing on career exploration and career fit through focused career events. Sophomore student-athletes will also participate in year two of our financial literacy program which focuses on taking care of personal finances.

Year Three

During the third year, junior student-athletes will have the opportunity to study abroad. With the financial support of Jill and Avram Glazer, our Athletics Department has partnered with internal and external stakeholders to create a joint study abroad partnership to enhance the overall academic experience of Tulane student-athletes. Given that many Tulane student-athletes are participating in athletics year-round, we wanted to create an impactful study abroad experience in the summer. We created this program to provide student-athletes with the same opportunities that many of their non-student-athlete peers are afforded. When surveyed, 89.6% of our student-athletes had not had an opportunity to study abroad and 93.2% would like to study abroad. Junior student-athletes will also focus their attention on career exposure and development. Juniors will attend our Athletics Student-Athlete Career Fair and focus on ensuring they have their professional documents (resumes and cover letters) and professional online presence (LinkedIn, Handshake, etc.) ready for employers. Junior student-athletes will also participate in year three of our financial literacy program, which focuses on investing and creating generational wealth.

Final Year

During the fourth and/or fifth year, senior, and/or graduate student-athletes will heavily focus on professional development and transitioning out of collegiate sport. Students in their final year will focus heavily on dynamic transition training which includes preparation for next steps after graduation whether that be a professional sports career or a career outside of competition. Training also includes interviewing and job searching skills and participation in our Athletics Student-Athlete Career Fair. Final year student-athletes will also participate in year four of our financial literacy program, which focuses on the next steps of financial literacy for life after Tulane.

Annual Programming and Endeavors

Culture, Leadership, Mentorship and Belonging

Student-Athletes are also provided annual workshop opportunities for development designed to ensure a dynamic culture. These workshops include opportunities for leadership development and mentorship throughout their collegiate career.

Professional Development WAVE Summer Institute

The Professional Development WAVE Summer Institute is for all rising sophomores, rising juniors, and rising seniors/graduate students. Each classification is required to complete various career-centered tasks and participate in career programming. This includes one-on-one career appointments and exploration of the following topics:

Career Identification and Discovery
Connecting Your Personal and Professional Brand
Resume, LinkedIn, and Cover Letters
Mock Interview
Job Searching Skills

Community Service and Engagement

Through the Devlin S-AFE Center for Leadership Development, we have been one of the top community service-producing athletics departments in the country fulfilling our passion of community engagement over the past few years. We pride ourselves on giving back to the local New Orleans community who supports us by hosting department-wide and team-based service events. We provide several individual and team-based service events annually.

Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)

SAAC is a leadership committee that is made up of student-athletes that provide insight into the student-athlete experience. SAAC offers input on the rules, regulations, and policies that impact student-athletes' lives on all NCAA member institution campuses. The student-athletes who actively participate in SAAC lead and seek to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunities, protecting student-athlete welfare, and fostering a positive student-athlete image.

Letterwinner and Employer Engagement

A key component to our success is the continued engagement and connection with former letterwinners and employers who are equally committed to the success and growth of our current student-athletes and Tulane Athletics. Their involvement spans multiple facets including letterwinner panels, speaking engagements, industry nights, athletics career programming, mentorship opportunities, and leadership initiatives.

For Letterwinners and Employers interested in connecting with our office and our student-athletes, please feel free to complete the interest form linked here.

Wave Brand Works - Name, Imagine, and Likeness (NIL) Education

Our Name, Imagine, and Likeness (NIL) education, led by our Altius Sports Partners team through Wave Brand Works, provides comprehensive educational programs to equip all Tulane Student-Athletes with the knowledge and expertise to maximize their NIL opportunities in a way that is compliant with NCAA legislation, as well as with federal and state laws.

Supplemental Annual Programming

Alcohol & Drug Education*
Sexual Violence Prevention*
QPR Training (led by Behavioral Health)
CPR Training (led by Sports Medicine)
DiSC

*Indicates mandatory

Program Highlights - Click below to see us in action!

Follow us on Instagram @greenwavesaac

Acknowledgement

In total, these initiatives combine to provide our student-athletes the best possible experiences to grow and learn outside of sport. We aim to develop our student-athletes holistically and honor them through various awards such as our 3.0 GPA Club, Scholar-Athlete of the Month, Sophomore Salute, Green Globes Awards Ceremony, and the Ben Weiner WAVE Cup.

Tulane University Athletics

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