Indiana State University Athletics

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State University Director of Athletics Sherard Clinkscales announced the launching of the Sycamore Leadership Academy presented by GEICO for Indiana State student-athletes beginning with the 2018-19 academic calendar year.
 
The Sycamore Leadership Academy presented by GEICO is designed to develop beneficial leadership and life skills for Sycamore student-athletes, better preparing them for life after college. The Sycamore Leadership Academy is made possible by the generous support from GEICO and is developed by Brooke Porter, the student-athlete success coach at Indiana State, and was also made possible by the efforts of Gregory Halls, a development officer within the Sycamore Athletic Fund.
 
Not only is GEICO making a financial contribution to help support the Sycamore Leadership Academy, but administrators from the nationally-renowned insurance company will be involved in teaching, guiding and mentoring the Indiana State student-athletes.
 
"Student-athletes earn the rare opportunity to compete at a high level in the classroom as well as the sport they love," said Clinkscales. "One of the main components of this experience is understanding the important role leadership plays in their team and individual success. The Sycamore Leadership Academy will provide resources to our student-athletes that will allow them to leverage their experiences into opportunities to become difference makers now and as graduates. I appreciate the efforts of Brooke Porter and Greg Halls in bringing this into fruition and want to thank GEICO for their generous support."
 
The leadership program designed to educate and prepare Indiana State student-athletes for life after college (and college athletics) will include resume and interview preparation, etiquette dinners, professional/workplace etiquette, finding a mentor, mentor relationship advice, goal-setting, social media training and a student-athlete career fair.
 
"We are ecstatic to partner with GEICO and provide our first-ever Sycamore Leadership Academy for our student-athletes beginning this Fall," said Porter. "This program will allow our student-athletes to grow and develop essential leadership and career readiness skills to ensure their success after their four years at Indiana State. We are giving our student-athletes the opportunity to make the most out of their experience here, and with the support of administrators from GEICO, we will be able to make an impact on Sycamores that will last a lifetime. Implementing this program, which includes initiatives geared toward interview preparation, discovering how to use transferrable skills in the workforce and how to set attainable goals and reach them, is something that we are excited to offer our student-athletes."
 
Additionally, female student-athletes will benefit from a Women in the Workplace event while all student-athletes will hear from keynote speaker Jarrod Barnes, founder and lead talent developer of PrimeU, as he speaks on values-based leadership training and innovative learning solutions.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Athletics, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the Trees on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.