Liberty Receives N4A Academic Certification
5/6/2011 12:00:00 AM | General
N4A Web Site
Following a comprehensive study of Liberty's Academic Affairs for Athletics office, the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics (N4A) has granted Liberty Athletics national academic certification.
Prior to Liberty Athletics earning the N4A program certification designation, there were only 13 NCAA Division I programs in the country who have earned the organization's recognition.
"The foundational goal of any collegiate athletics department is academic success and to become the 14th institution of higher learning to accomplish this level of certification is very special," said Jeff Barber, Liberty's Director of Athletics.
"Our commitment to our student-athletes is to equip each of them with an outstanding education that will prepare them for life," continued Barber. "The job done by our associate athletics director Kristie Beitz and her staff to ensure this level of commitment is nothing short of phenomenal."
The N4A, which has been in existence since 1975, is a diverse organization of service professionals who promote the integrity of their profession by providing guiding principles and quality services to support one another as they share information, resources and expertise in their efforts to empower student-athletes to become more productive individuals through educational and personal development.
The N4A established the certification program to raise the professional standard among academic support programs and encourage a broader range of understanding of best practices and successful operations.
The N4A will start working in association with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) in August 2012, to further their endeavors to provide this academic certification designation.
"I was very impressed with the commitment to academics displayed by Kristie Beitz, her academic support staff and Liberty Athletics," said Matt Geibel, Seton Hall Director of Academic Support Services and Liberty's N4A certifying officer.
"Liberty runs a comprehensive academic support program for its athletics department, one that should be used as a model for many other programs around the country. Whether it is through tutoring, study hall, advising or community service involvement, Kristie Beitz and her staff are maximizing the resources they have at Liberty to provide the best support possible to its student-athletes."
Led by Beitz, Liberty's Academic Affairs for Athletics office is comprised of five additional full-time staff members, a graduate assistant, student assistant workers and tutors.
The mission of the Academic Affairs for Athletics office at Liberty is to provide continuous academic, athletic, social and spiritual development for each of Liberty's student-athletes.
Utilizing the expertise of its staff in collaboration with institutional programs, Liberty's student-athletes receive professional advising, career and academic skill development, tutoring and mentoring services.
During its recent annual Academic Awards Banquet, Liberty Athletics celebrated its most successful academic year on record. For the first time in known history, Liberty Athletics' cumulative student-athlete grade-point average (GPA) was above a 3.0.
The banquet honored 282 student-athletes that have maintained a 3.0 or higher GPA, including 12 student-athletes with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Additionally, the evening honored 17 programs (out of 21) who had maintained a 3.0 or higher team GPA.
Programs who have earned the N4A Program Certification designation:
Baylor University
Clemson University
Georgia State University
Liberty University
Louisiana State University
Michigan State University
North Carolina State University
Tennessee State University
University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Arizona
University of Oklahoma
University of Memphis
University of Tennessee
Pending Certifications:
University of Dayton
University of Missouri
