NIU Athletics reached a department record with a 3.357 GPA for the 2024 fall semester term, with all athletic teams scoring above a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
NIU’s Student Athlete Academic Success Services (SAASS) staff members are helping students reach these academic heights in the classroom, while they succeed at their respective sports.
SAASS facilitates a student athlete tutoring program, with the primary goal of providing student athletes with academic assistance beyond what they receive in the classroom. SAASS tutors are trained in NCAA rules and regulations and best practices for supporting student athletes and provide interactive, objective based tutoring plus subject-specific study techniques.
“Working with NIU’s student athletes has allowed me to combine my passion for sports with academic support,” Carson Williamsen, a senior advocacy and public communication major and SAASS academic tutor, said. “I enjoy helping students succeed in their classes while balancing their athletic responsibilities.”
SAASS also partners with NIU’s Huskie Academic Success Center (HASC) to provide additional tutoring and writing support. This service gives students the option to have scheduled or walk-in tutoring to assist with completing coursework.
Furthermore, academic coaching is available from SAASS and HASC to provide students with resources to facilitate their academic success. These hour-long appointments take place weekly and set goals for completing work, while reviewing previously assigned work with students.
But SAASS does not stop there. The office coordinates and supports activities and programs that give student athletes an opportunity to build community, while supporting the community around them.
The Huskie Experience program focuses on leadership, along with career and personal development, and utilizes campus and community partners to help students thrive as individuals. The result is a holistic collegiate experience that prepares students for life after sports.
“Our community gives so much to this institution, and it’s great to work with our students and give back to them,” Randi Napientek, director of SAASS and senior associate athletics director said. “The students really enjoy it, and I love watching them want to give back and want to be part of something bigger than themselves.”
Napientek adds, “This has helped our student athletes find belonging at NIU and the community and it’s been fun watching them give back and find a sense of purpose in something that means something to them.”
Whether it is writing letters to residents of nursing homes, conducting a toiletry drive or helping charitable organizations, NIU’s student athletes are shining in the community as well as in the classroom and on the field.
Visit the SAASS website or contact Napientek at randi@niu.edu to learn more.
