Student-Athlete Development & Leadership

Transition

NSAO • The New Student-Athlete Orientation is a dinner program held right before the start of NSO in order to bring incoming freshman student-athletes together on campus for the first time. It is designed as an opportunity to make friends and get your first taste of Stanford culture.
PAE • The Partners for Academic Excellence for Student Athletes mentorship program (UAR56) is a one-unit class led by upperclassman student-athletes who help student-athletes with time management, academic excellence, and professional development.
Speak About It • The Speak About It organization is invited to Stanford to speak to student-athletes about healthy sexual choices, and to advocate consent. They strive to prevent sexual violence through inclusive performance-based education, discussion facilitation, and provision of resources.

Develop

Skill Set Workshops • Student-Athlete Development and Leadership partners with the AARC to hold skill-developing workshops for student athletes to improve their study skills or their learning strategies, or help with resumes, interview preparation, and etiquette.
Escalation Workshop • The Women’s Lacrosse team and Stanford Athletics partners with the One Love foundation to host a workshop that helps student-athletes recognize, respond to, and reduce relationship abuse in all its forms.

Interpret

Alumni Mixer • The Alumni Mixer is a networking event that gives student-athletes a chance to ask questions to professionals who were once in their shoes.
Resume Critiques • The Resume Critique workshops are offered to provide one-on-one help from staff members of BEAM Stanford Career Education who provide student-athletes feedback on how to best showcase their acquired skillsets and clearly articulate their abilities and experiences.
Career Fair Preparation • In addition to the Resume Critique workshops, we host a number of events during fall quarter in order to prepare student-athletes for the Career Fair such as cover letter writing sessions to help student-athletes highlight their unique skill sets as a varsity athlete at Stanford.
Career Fair • Each year, a career fair intended exclusively for varsity student-athletes is held with the goal of connecting them directly to both internship and full-time employment. The student-athlete career fair is robust, with more than 30 organizations and 200 student-athletes represented each year.
Athlete-Alumni Group Dinner • This group dinner also serves as a networking event and a fun social event. The goal is to provide student-athletes with a more comfortable and intimate setting to get to know alumni and their stories.
Stanford Alumni Mentoring (SAM) • Stanford Alumni Mentoring is a campus-wide program where students have been connected to awesome alumni mentors. SAM allows students and alumni mentors to foster connections ranging from a simple one-time coffee-chat up to a long-term mentoring relationship. The Block S Society seeks to participate as a group within the program so that student-athletes are able to connect specifically with student-athlete alumni.
Professional Panels • Throughout the year, we invite people from different professions, often sports-related, to speak at our panels. These events serve as a way for student-athletes to listen to and ask questions of men and women who have been successful in their careers.

Lead

Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) • In addition to gaining invaluable leadership experiences, students who participate in SAAC hold community service events for Stanford and the surrounding communities, organize events for the entire student-athlete body, and gain experiences while having meaningful impact.
Rubenstein-Bing Student-Athlete Civic Engagement (ACE) • The ACE program is a joint collaboration between the Duke and Stanford Athletic Departments, as well as DukeEngage and the Haas Center for Public Service. It provides one-time funding for accepted Duke-Stanford ACE student-athletes to participate in a three-week, immersive summer service experience with an international community partner. Service themes include health outreach, education, environmental sustainability and conservation, social enterprise, coaching, and more.
Leadership by Design • Leadership by Design is a 2-day intensive workshop offered to student-athletes interested in tackling some of the most pressing problems and hoping to gain experience at looking at real-world problems from a design perspective.
Summer Institute for General Management (SIGM) • This four-week residential program provides participants with a strong foundation in business management fundamentals and the tools they need to distinguish themselves and get hired in such a competitive job market. SIGM is designed for undergraduates and recent college graduates who majored in non-business fields.
Nike Internship • This ten-week paid summer internship program is open for student-athletes to participate after completion of their Junior year. The Nike Sports Marketing Internship is an opportunity to gain experience under a well-respected employer and learn how to bring leadership abilities to the corporate table.
PAE Mentor • PAE mentors gain leadership experience as they guide freshman student-athletes through the ropes of being a student-athlete at Stanford, teaching them how to manage classes with workouts and start building their professional resumes and skill sets.
Graduate Reception • During graduation we hold a reception for the graduating student-athletes in order to celebrate their accomplishments, send them off into the professional world, and formally invite them to join the Block S Society.

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is a dedicated group of Student-Athletes committed to making the Student-Athlete experience the best it can possibly be. It is a liaison between the University, the NAAC, and the student-athlete population and is made up of four separate committees – Cardinal RHED (Resilience, Health, and Emotional Development), Community Service, Social Events, and Special Projects.

Why join SAAC?

SAAC is a great way to become more involved in the Student-Athlete community on campus and meet a wider range of athletes from different sports. SAAC gives student-athletes the ability to make a big impact on the athletic program as a whole, something SAAC representatives take huge pride in.

What does SAAC do?

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee puts on a variety of events throughout the year focused on our four different committees. To name a few big events:
» Trick or TREET • This Halloween-themed community service event is held for local children to come hang out with Stanford student athletes. Varsity sports teams dress up and plan an activity station (with candy!) for the kids as they walk around.
» Faculty Fellow Dinner • The focus of this program is to bridge the gap between the athletic and academic worlds on campus. The Faculty Fellow Dinner/Mixer held early winter quarter provides a venue for teams to learn more about their faculty fellow as well as foster a connection that will hopefully lead to building an individual relationship with them.
» Dancing with the Card • One of our favorites, this event is a fundraiser for Camp Kesem, a recreational camp for children of parents with cancer. Freshmen student-athletes choreograph and perform dances in front of the rest of the student body, often with upperclassmen student-athletes as the judges. May the best team win!
» Game Faces • Hosted by Cardinal RHED (a student-driven organization founded in 2014 to develop and promote physical and mental health resources), Game Faces gives featured student-athletes the chance to share their stories and create community. The event covers topics such as red shirting, experiencing injury, dealing with failure, and the like. (If you would like to be a featured speaker, please contact Hannah Levy, hlevy@stanford.edu)
» Stanny’s • Our end of year award show is a fun "dinner and a show" program set up to bring the student-athlete community together one last time to dress up, eat, laugh, and celebrate the accomplishments of the year.

How do I get involved?

At the beginning of each year, SAAC is mentioned at the New-Student Athlete Orientation (NSAO), giving incoming freshman the opportunity to learn more and give them the chance to get involved.

Contact SAAC!