Alison joined the Life Skills
team in October 2006. She was previously
the Assistant Director of Marketing for Vanderbilt Athletics. She is also an academic support member
overseeing women’s swimming and diving. She
is originally from Jacksonville, FL and married with a daughter named Callah
and a son named Casey. She enjoys
spending her free time with her family!
The mission of the NCAA is to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the campus educational program and the athlete as an integral part of the student body. With this in mind, the Life Skills Program was created to support the student development initiatives of its member institutions and enhance the quality of the student-athlete experience within the university setting. Balancing academic success, athletic competition, and personal growth along with student life can be very challenging. The Life Skills Program helps facilitate the Vanderbilt commitment to foster the total growth and development of our student athletes. To that end, there are five program commitments: Academic Excellence, Athletic Excellence, Personal Development, Career Development, and Community Service.
Life skills involve programs that are offered
throughout the year based on student-athlete needs and recommendations given by
the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Leadership opportunities are
available in SAAC for the student-athletes, and the administration looks to
this group to help in making decisions regarding the student-athlete
population. SAAC also helps to coordinate many of the service opportunities
made available to the student-athletes.
The Stratton Foster Academic Support
Center staff was developed to ensure our student-athletes fulfill their
academic obligations with discipline, perseverance, and integrity. Each
Academic Counselor meets weekly or bi-weekly with all student-athletes from
their assigned athletic teams, monitor study hall, check class attendance, and
refer student-athletes to the appropriate academic support and campus-wide
resources. They are here to help make sure the student-athlete’s college career
is a successful one!