FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Written by Annie Jenkins, GNAC Staff

GNAC student-athletes discover how to
#LearnLead at annual leadership forum

WINTHROP, Mass. — More than three dozen select student-athletes, coaches, and administrators from Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) member institutions came together this past Sunday, March 25 to engage in leadership development programming as part of the conference's annual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Spring Leadership Forum at the Hilton Garden Inn Boston Logan Airport Hotel in East Boston.

Special guests joining the GNAC representatives were a highly-praised covey of speakers: NCAA Associate Director of Leadership Development, DeeDee Merritt, from the NCAA national office in Indianapolis, Randolph-Macon College junior women's soccer student-athlete, Madison Burns, and Mount Ida College Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) James Jabbour.

In addition, GNAC Commissioner Joe Walsh, Assistant Commissioner Michael Ghika, and Assistant to the Commissioner Annie Jenkins, who organized the event, were on hand to help foster meaningful conversations and connections amongst the GNAC's student-athletes and colleagues.

Sunday's programming included a DiSC Assessment facilitated by Merritt with a hands-on learning approach. The assessment aided participants in identifying individual behavioral styles within the workplace or an athletic setting to then use specific leadership strategies to build more effective relationships by finding common ground and language to improve communication.

DiSC Assessment Overview

Merritt began the day with a QuikDiSC card deck icebreaker before delving into the DiSC model with GNAC SAAC members, who prior to the retreat had answered specific personality questions in order to generate their individual reports. The student-athletes were then grouped together according to their DiSC Style: D (Dominance), i (Influence), S (Steadiness) or C (Conscientiousness) to discuss the overall assessment and the meaning behind its results. The student-athletes were urged to bring what they learned from the DiSC Assessment back to their respective campuses to lead the charge in helping everyone from teammates, coaches, administrators and other fellow students to work better together.

Merritt, the NCAA Leadership Development Staff Associate Director, also administers the NCAA Postgraduate Internship Program, Student-Athlete Leadership Forum, National Student-Athlete Day, Athlete Development Professional Certification Program, Emerging Leaders Seminar, Effective Facilitation Workshop, and Leadership Academy Workshop.

Mental Health Matters

Following the DiSC training, GNAC delegates enjoyed a catered lunch and Randolph-Macon's Burns delivered her heartfelt NCAA Convention presentation on how fighting a mental health battle by taking action, utilizing campus resources, and being a supportive teammate can change a life for the better. Burns, a National SAAC member, also gave an overview of upcoming SAAC initiatives across the country, including the celebration of the Special Olympics' 50th Anniversary this summer, and vocalized how GNAC student-athletes could become more involved through various professional development opportunities.

FAR & Campus SAAC Community Engagement

Jabbour, Mount Ida's Forensic Science Program Coordinator/Assistant Professor, led an engaging discussion on the role of the FAR on campus and emphasized the importance of "communicating early" to avoid class conflicts, gave tips on how to build a stronger connection with faculty members to help bridge the gap between academics and athletics, and encouraged feedback from student-athletes. Furthermore, Jenkins wrapped up the Forum by calling upon each institution to share community updates involving recent SAAC initiatives (Special Olympics, community service, fundraising efforts, special events, etc.) happening on its respective campus.

For more information on the DiSC Assessment and how to submit a request to participate in a future NCAA DiSC Workshop, please visit http://www.ncaa.org/disc-behavioral-assessments. 

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement. 

– #TheGNAC –

PHOTO GALLERY: 2018 GNAC SAAC Spring Leadership Forum

Photos by Kelsey Hagan (GNAC Sports Marketing & Multimedia Content Specialist Intern)