UTSA to host 2024 American Athletic Conference Academic Symposium this weekend

APRIL 11, 2024 — Researchers, administrators and student-athletes from the across the American Athletic Conference’s member institutions will descend on San Antonio this weekend as UTSA hosts the conference’s 2024 Academic Symposium from Friday, April 12, to Sunday, April 14, at the Main Campus.

The symposium is the banner event for the American Athletic Conference Academic Consortium, which funds grants for research focused on student-athlete success and well-being. The Academic Symposium brings together student-athletes, scholars and athletics staff from across The American’s 15 universities to learn about the results of the consortium’s funded research and encourage collaborative efforts to enhance the student-athlete experience.

“We are proud to bring our 2024 Academic Symposium to the UTSA campus,” said Mike Aresco, commissioner of the American Athletic Conference. “Our symposium has proven to be one of our most important annual events due to the direct positive impact it has had on the student-athlete experience. The research that has been sponsored by our academic consortium has produced tangible improvements in physical, mental and social health and has also led to outstanding collaboration between faculty and students across our institutions.”

UTSA has the unique privilege of hosting the symposium while still in its first academic year as a member of the American Athletic Conference. For many of the symposium’s visitors, the event will provide them an introduction to the Alamo City and a glimpse at what the university is building — from its emergence as a Carnegie R1 research institution to its swelling impact in college athletics.

“We really embrace this opportunity,” said Lisa Campos, UTSA vice president for intercollegiate athletics. “Not only do we get to showcase UTSA, our city and all of the important research that’s going on here, but now we get to bring together all of these great people from across the American Athletic Conference institutions to share what they’ve found in their research.”

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“There’s so much more we still need to learn about the student-athlete experience, and it’s important that we try to improve it every day.”

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As the symposium’s host institution, UTSA will serve as a meaningful voice in the deep, wide-ranging conversations about student-athlete success and well-being throughout the weekend. Topics such as mental health, psychological readiness, heat illness and student-athlete employment will be explored through the symposium’s five research presentations and three student panels.

“There’s so much more we still need to learn about the student-athlete experience, and it’s important that we try to improve it every day,” Campos said. “We’re talking about name, image and likeness. We’re talking about sleep deprivation. We’re talking about mental health and human performance. Any research that could improve their day-to-day lives is something we all want to know more about.”

Faculty and staff from UTSA will participate in two of the symposium’s research presentations and two of the student-athlete panel discussions. The goal is for representatives from UTSA and the American’s 14 other universities to network and leverage the findings presented at the symposium to foster ongoing dialogue and collaboration between academia and athletics for years to come.

“Collaboration is really the name of the game. We’re all part of the same enterprise that brings together academics and athletics. We’re all about creating a transformative experience for our students and developing new innovations for the benefit of our community,” said Gregg Michel, associate professor in the UTSA Department of History and UTSA’s faculty athletics representative. “It will be great to see those collaborations at the symposium, to see the ways in which academic researchers are conducting programs and developing ideas that directly impact student-athletes.”

Seok Kang, professor in the UTSA Department of Communication, and Adel Alaeddini, professor in the UTSA Department of Mechanical Engineering, will be the first team to present their research at the symposium. The pair has been investigating the factors that influence the well-being, athletic and academic performance of athletes at NCAA Division I schools (including UTSA). Their study took a unique approach to data analysis called computational communication. They not only analyzed numeric data gathered through surveys, but also clustered textual data using natural language processing. This gave them the ability to draw richer analysis and provide more elaborate suggestions for theory and practices that could benefit student-athletes.

“The key takeaway is that a student-athlete’s well-being is crucial in improving their motivation, self-confidence and performance,” Kang explained.

Their research found that student-athletes are largely motivated by inspiration, role models and belongingness. These factors trigger their well-being, which helps them set goals, feel fulfilled, develop work ethics and display discipline, resilience and compassion. All of these factors have a positive impact on their academic and athletic performance. Conversely, student-athletes often grapple with depression, anxiety, stress and pressure.

Kang and Alaeddini suggest that universities develop more student-athlete well-being programs that emphasize positive attitudes toward athletics, inspiration, family, self-development and the importance of leaving a positive influence on others. Such programs would help student-athletes mitigate pressure, negative influences and overwhelming feelings. Some examples would include family day events, meetings with role-model athletes, stress-coping programs and activities that encourage conversations between coaches and athletes.

Kang added that he plans to conduct a second study on this subject and is looking forward to gleaning valuable information from the other presenters at the Academic Symposium. “All the findings by researchers will be applicable to improving student-athletes’ successful college life and life after graduation,” Kang said. “With this opportunity, student-athletes’ college life will get better, and they will be able to better prepare for their future.”

Mentorship programs have also proven beneficial for student-athletes — and that’s the subject that another Roadrunner duo will be covering in their research presentation. Kelly Cheever, assistant professor in the UTSA Department of Kinesiology, and Summer Rolin, director of sports psychology and sports medicine for UTSA and UT Health San Antonio, will share their findings about how mentorship programs can improve psychological readiness, academic performance and persistence among student-athletes.

“When I reviewed all the literature on the positive impact of mentorship on psychological readiness, I could see the potential of such a program,” Rolin said.

“I’m interested in seeing how we can help athletes help each other.” Cheever added. “There is a lot of research that suggests that individuals are more willing to listen to and talk to their peers.”

Rolin and Cheever met through their work with UTSA Athletics and bonded over a shared interest in improving the welfare of student-athletes, a population they have often watched struggle through rigorous demands. Ultimately, they hope their research can lead to creative approaches that will address the unique human condition faced by modern collegiate athletes.

“Our responsibility to our athletes is to have these meaningful conversations to address how we can develop pathways and programming to have positive outcomes and affect change. UTSA has a great opportunity to advance our mission by collaborating in this effort with our new conference peers,” Rolin said. “Our athletes give everything to their sport, and we can give back to them by acting as stewards for their well-being.”

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All research presentations and student-athlete panel discussions will take place on Saturday, April 13, and Sunday, April 14, at the H-E-B Student Union Ballroom. A welcome reception will be held in the evening on Friday, April 12. The symposium will kick off with opening remarks on Saturday by UTSA President Taylor Eighmy and Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Heather Shipley. A keynote conversation will follow with special guests R.C. Buford, CEO of San Antonio Spurs Sports & Entertainment, and Frank Harris B.A. ’21, M.P.A.’23, former UTSA quarterback and local sports legend.

Other research presentations at the symposium will include:

• Heat illness in elite athletes: Defining modifiable factors in heat stress physiology and the utility of a preseason heat illness prevention acclimatization protocol
  Presenter: Rebecca Lopez, University of South Florida
  
  
• Student-athlete mental health in the American Athletic Conference: Development and implementation of a standardized screening process
  Presenter: Trent Petrie, University of North Texas
  
  
• Exploring mental health in athletics: A post-COVID-19 review of athletic department practices and student-athlete barriers to mental health
  Presenter: Phillip Mullins, Wichita State University

Student panels at the symposium will include:

• Student-athlete mental health
  Moderator: Summer Rolin, UTSA
  
  
• Building positive team cultures
  Moderator: Brooke Williams, UTSA
  
  
• Student-athletes as employees
  Moderator: Paul Rogers, Southern Methodist University

— Shea Conner

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