LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT & RECOGNITION:

Numerous leadership opportunities exist for student-athletes at St. John's, ranging from team and campus positions to national leadership involvement. Student Development for Athletes works with each team to help develop programs to enhance leadership development, including the selection and training of Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) members, Student-Athlete Orientation Leaders, SD 101 Peer Educators, Community Service Coordinators, and Campus Activities Board (CAB) Student-Athlete Representatives.

The most prominent student-athlete leadership organization is the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). SAAC is a nationally-recognized student-athlete leadership organization, sponsored by the NCAA. Campus SAAC groups serve as the "voice" for student-athletes in fostering communication with administration, addressing concerns/issues across teams, providing feedback on relevant policies, and promoting a positive student-athlete image on campus. Each team nominates two representatives every year to serve in this role, totaling thirty-two SAAC members. This group then selects an Executive Board, which collaborates with the administration to lead the organization and serve as the student-athlete voice for the campus.

Student-Athlete Orientation Leaders are upperclass student-athletes who help welcome & introduce new St. John's student-athletes to campus during Orientation on Monday, August 25th. Freshmen will be divided into small "color" groups of about 10 student-athletes, led by a pair of Orientation Leaders, to help them connect to other student-athletes from a variety of teams.

SD 101 Peer Educators are trained upperclass student-athletes who have volunteered their time to serve as mentors to the first-year student-athletes. Every Monday night during the Fall semester, they meet with the small "color" groups created during Orientation. A variety of topics important to student-athletes are discussed, such as dealing with student-athlete stereotypes, managing time & stress, setting goals and staying focused, making healthy & responsible choices, etc.

Community Service Coordinators volunteer to work closely with the Campus Minister for Athletics and their coaching staff to help organize community service projects for their athletic teams, following our Vincentian commitment to the poor. Service opportunities to be coordinated include both projects for individual team members and large-scale programs for the entire team (i.e. University Service Day, Relay for Life).

Campus Activities Board (CAB) Student-Athlete Representatives are appointed by the Vice President for Student Affairs to represent St. John's student-athletes on a University-wide programming board. This board provides funding for events and activities that are campus-wide and collaborative. CAB members include a mix of students, staff and faculty. Meetings are generally held twice a month, and is chaired by the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and co-chaired by the President of Student Government, Inc.

Student Development for Athletes also seeks to recognize individual student-athletes in a variety of areas of leadership. Included among these are the BIG EAST/ECAC Academic All-Star Recognition, St. John's University Student-Athlete Leadership Certification, Student-Athlete of the Month Recognition, and numerous BIG EAST, ECAC, and NCAA scholarships and awards.