Florida Atlantic University’s Athletics department attained a 3.23 Grade Point Average (GPA) for the fall 2024 semester, highlighting FAU student-athletes’ dedication to both their academic and athletic success. This collective score showcases the hard work and commitment of FAU’s athletes. Over the years, the department has consistently improved its GPA, increasing from a 3.029 in 2019 to a 3.230 in 2024.
The GPA marks the department’s 19th semester in a row with a 3.0 GPA or higher and its sixth consecutive above 3.1. The women’s teams led the average with a combined GPA of 3.518, their highest in the past four years. FAU’s men’s teams weren’t far behind with an average GPA of 3.230, coming shy of their highest by 0.032 in the fall of 2023.
Behind the scenes of FAU’s GPA is the academic support team in the Student-Athlete Success Center (SASC) for Academic Excellence. The Senior Associate Athletic Director of the SASC, Toya Ballard, first expressed her pride in FAU Athletics’s academic accomplishments.
Ballard said the 3.23 GPA represents the hard work student-athletes put into their academics daily. She also recognized two teams that stood out academically this year; beach volleyball had the highest GPA out of all the teams, ending the semester with a 3.723. Men’s tennis had the second highest, with a 3.669 GPA.
“Being a student-athlete is like a full-time job, basically, in my opinion, like two full-time jobs, because they’re spending time in their sport… and then they’re also spending a lot of hours to be a high-achieving student,“ said Ballard.
She said the SASC academic support unit consists of academic advisors, academic mentors, tutors and graduate assistants. She explained that academic advisors are assigned to a team, or multiple teams, and work closely with coaches to help student-athletes stay on track academically.
One of the SASC’s Assistant Academic Advisors, Evann Seratte, shared that she and the team advisors monitor academic progress through grade checks and tutoring sessions. They also help student-athletes with the challenges of balancing sports and school by teaching them time management skills.
“Being a student and an athlete can be really challenging, as you’re balancing all the things with college and being an adult,” said Seratte. “We do everything we can to support them… and show them that being able to manage your time is a form of respect.”
By placing academics on the same pedestal as competition, Seratte helps the student-athletes understand the importance of making time for success in both elements.
The SASC’s mission goes beyond helping student-athletes with classes and getting good grades. Seratte said its mission is to prepare students to be productive workers in the world.
Seratte explained she and the SASC team help prepare student-athletes to enter the professional world and be “productive workers” by teaching them critical thinking skills such as conflict and time management.
“We’re teaching them all those skills that they’re going to use for the rest of their lives. So, it’s more than just grades,” said Seratte. “It’s really the holistic development for the athletes.”
Additionally, assistant athletic director and senior associate director of the SASC, Jacqueline Perez, said that the SASC serves as a “liaison” with other offices on campus to support and encourage student-athletes’ academic success.
Perez shared that the student-athlete development team works closely with the FAU Career Center to assist student-athletes with career preparation.
“We work very closely with the Career Center. We do a variety of things that can help build their resumes,” said Perez. “We have career fairs indicated specifically for them that employers can come in and meet with them.”
The student-athlete development team also helps athletes with personal development, community engagement, and leadership enhancement. Perez explained that all the skills that student-athletes develop with the SASC and other student-athlete support branches “go beyond the workforce” and can be applied to all aspects of their lives.
FAU Athletics also holds annual academic competitions between the teams to encourage academic excellence and form more connections within the department.
Ballard said the department tries to get student-athletes out of their “athletic bubble” by holding fun academic competitions.
“We have an award show every year. It’s called the Owlspys, and each team competes against each other,” said Ballard.
The winning team of Owlspys wins the Owl Cup, according to Ballard, and teams mainly receive points based on community service and by teams’ event or competition attendance. They also serve as a way for teams to build comradery with one another. Beach volleyball won the Owl Cup in 2024.
Ballard shared that FAU Athletics’s goal is to continue raising the bar for academic success while ensuring student-athletes are recognized for their hard work and dedication.
Taylor Fray is a contributing writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories email her at tfray2024@fau.edu or DM her on Instagram @tttaylorfray.
