PPS: Leadership Academy

Ithaca College Athletics

THE OFFICIAL Athletics Site of the ITHACA COLLEGE BOMBERS

“Developing Leaders for Success in Sport and Life”

Mission: As one of the premier leadership development programs in college athletics, the Ithaca College Sports Leadership Academy challenges, mentors, and develops Ithaca’s student-athletes and coaches in the ongoing pursuit of individual and team leadership. The Ithaca College Sports Leadership Academy provides tailored programming via interactive workshops, experiential activities, observational feedback, one-on-one coaching, and peer cooperative learning and mentoring. A primary goal of the Ithaca College Sports Leadership Academy is to prepare students to excel in all areas of their lives during and after college, enhance Ithaca College’s outstanding reputation, as well as provide athletics with a distinct advantage in competing at a high level nationally.

Benefits of the Ithaca College Sports Leadership Academy
Effective leadership plays a critical role in the overall success of any athletic department. For Ithaca College, the benefits of the Leadership Academy are both numerous and long ranging. Benefits of the Academy include but are not limited to:

assuring Ithaca College as one of the premier sports leadership programs,
attracting and retaining talented student-athletes and coaches,
providing coaches with committed and responsible student-athlete leaders and captains,
advancing student-athletes with marketable (life-long) leadership skills,
facilitating the transitions of first-year and transfer student-athletes into the Ithaca Family,
educating against self-destructive and inappropriate behaviors (e.g., alcohol, drugs, social media, etc.),
enhancing the national reputation and competitive success of Ithaca College Athletics,
maintaining and enhancing student-athlete academic performances and graduation rates,
strengthening alumni relations,
developing head and assistant coaches to be more effective leaders and mentors,
building positive and trusting relationships with student-athletes, coaches, and administrators,
strengthening values of respect and integrity to better contribute to an overall campus climate of diversity and inclusion.

Captain's Council - “Leaders Leading Teams”

It’s hard to captain a team! And it’s hard to be the team “go-to” person who is asked to lead . . . regardless of team dynamics, wins, losses, or interpersonal relationships. With that said, sometimes team captains need help in managing their roles as leaders and captains. The Ithaca College Captain’s Council is designed for all team captains, with the goal of providing a venue for team captains to process what is going well . . . and not-so- well . . . as they navigate the ups and downs of team captainship. The Captain’s Council meets 3-4 times per semester to check-in, offer encouragement and support to leaders, and to challenge all captains to lead in a way that is consistent with what is being taught and promoted in the Ithaca College Sports Leadership Academy. In sum, the Ithaca College Captain’s Council is designed to provide the following:

Encouragement, support, and empowerment to student-athlete captain leaders . . . as they develop, refine, and grow their respective team leadership,
A challenge to apply all Ithaca College Sports Leadership Academy principles and modules . . . helping all captains to “lead by example” and become the “vocal leaders” their teammates need,
Team-time for leaders to discuss current team issues, ask for advice, and develop strategies for working through any off-season, pre-season, in-season, and post-season issues and . . .
Time to “check in” and ask questions about how to better lead, support, manage, hold accountable, and unite their teams!