McGraw Hill, a leading global education company, and Alabama State University are teaming up to launch a personalized career coaching and leadership development program to empower the University's student-athletes with the skills, knowledge and tools needed to succeed in today's competitive job market.
Launching on January 14, the Collegiate Athletic Leadership Program will offer tailored mentorship, career readiness training and networking opportunities to help ASU student-athletes make progress towards their career goals after college.
The partnership with ASU, one of the nation's oldest institutions of higher education founded for Black Americans, reflects McGraw Hill's commitment to providing access to meaningful learning experiences that improve outcomes and opportunity for all learners.
"At McGraw Hill, we work with educators to help all students, regardless of background, unlock their full potential," said Sean Ryan, president of McGraw Hill's School group. "Given we operate within a larger social context, partnerships with well-established and respected institutions can accelerate this important work. Thus, we're especially proud to partner with Alabama State University to help student-athletes at this world-class institution get ahead of the game toward their future career paths. At the same time, we expect that this will help us also build a stronger, more diverse pipeline of professional talent for not only our company, but also the broader education industry. Our joint future depends on it."
The Collegiate Athletic Leadership Program will include monthly workshops led by McGraw Hill team members that will cover:
Career readiness: Soft skills training and professional etiquette, with an emphasis on effective business communication, public speaking and corporate presentation.
Leadership skills: Moving from college to the corporate world by discussing a business growth mindset, critical thinking, financial literacy, problem solving and avoiding pitfalls.
Succeeding professionally: Helping students on their path to success by conducting mock interviews, setting up job shadowing for a day, offering one-on-one coaching and identifying strengths and transferable skills that will ensure success, no matter the industry.
To drive a deeper connection, workshops will feature guest speakers who come from
historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) or who have former athletic experience.
Also, participants will be introduced to internships and other opportunities at McGraw
Hill.
The Collegiate Athletic Leadership Program is provided to ASU at no cost, made possible
through a volunteer initiative from McGraw Hill employees being spearheaded by an
employee-led group called the I.D.E.A. Council which promotes understanding, respect,
equity, and access for others.
"At Alabama State University, we seek to fulfill our mission of providing a holistic learning environment that prepares our student-athletes within their four years on campus for the next forty years of their lives," said Dr. Jason Cable, vice president and director of Athletics at Alabama State University. "Our collaborative partnership with a global brand like McGraw Hill serves as a blueprint for student-athletes' development as they prepare to depart the hallowed grounds of ASU. It reflects our commitment to CommUniversity and fostering dynamic relationships that prepare our student-athletes for positive community impact."
ASU student-athletes have a proud tradition of excelling both on and off the field,
paving the way for success after graduation. The ASU Athletic Department has been
recognized with the James Frank Commissioner's Cup eight times in the past decade for
achieving the highest combined total of men's and women's all-sport points in the
Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
Additionally, ASU has achieved remarkable success by claiming its fifth consecutive
SWAC Academic Achievement Award, along with its third straight win under the leadership
of Dr. Cable.
The Academic Achievement Award is presented annually to the athletic program with
the highest percentage of student-athletes who earned a grade point average (GPA)
of 3.0 or better during the academic year. With 69 percent of its student-athletes
earning a GPA of 3.0 or better during the academic year, Alabama State exemplifies
a powerful commitment to educational excellence, proudly standing as a beacon of achievement
in intercollegiate athletics.
McGraw Hill
McGraw Hill is a leading global education company that partners with millions of educators, learners, and professionals around the world. Recognizing their diverse needs, it builds trusted content, flexible tools, and powerful digital platforms to help them achieve success on their own terms. Through its commitment to equity, and inclusion, it fosters a culture of belonging that respects and reflects the diversity of the communities and educators it serves. McGraw Hill has over 30 offices across North America, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. Its learning solutions for PreK-12, higher education, and others are available in more than 80 languages. Visit it at mheducation.com or find it on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.