St. Louis, Mo. – The Washington University in St. Louis Athletics Department launches the Center of Excellence initiative comprised of five core areas dedicated to build and prepare Scholar-Champions for both today and beyond. Sports Performance, Sports Medicine, Nutrition, Enrichment Services and the soon-to-be-launched Well-Being Suite collectively will provide a competitive advantage to WashU student-athletes who want to become, and graduate, Scholar-Champions.
"WashU features a world-class education and an athletic home to stellar coaches and motivated student-athletes that embody a culture of intellectual curiosity and a winning mentality," said Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and the John M. Schael Director of Athletics Anthony J. Azama. "This collective approach, the Center of Excellence, seeks to fully maximize the student-athletes' potential of competitive excellence in spite of fierce competition, while continuing to define and take advantage of opportunities moving forward. The end goal, in addition to attracting the very best, is to provide the experience, resources and roadmap for student-athletes to cultivate their talents to maximize future value beyond their four years of undergraduate study."
Today we will highlight the final core area, the Well-Being Suite. The five core areas allow WashU Athletics to tangibly differentiate itself among competing institutions.
Well-Being Suite
WashU Athletics is proud to unveil the soon-to-be-launched Well-Being Suite that will be housed on the bottom floor of the Athletic Complex. The Well-Being Suite, which is a partnership with WashU's Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CCPS) will feature a rotation of mental health professionals.
"We are excited about the developing relationship between athletics and the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services," said Cristie Cunningham, Associate Director of Mental Health Services/Training. "Student-athletes have unique needs in that they have not only the demands inherent to being a college student, but also the demands of collegiate athletics."
This year, CCPS began its clinical training program that will allow for the expansion of services to athletics without decreasing services provided to the broader student body. The scope of work with the Bears will include mental health, performance concerns, outreach programs tailored to the needs of student-athletes and consultation to the coaching staff and athletics staff.
"The Center of Excellence revolves around the holistic health, well-being, and growth of our scholar-champions," said Senior Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations and SWA Summer Hutcheson. "The inclusion of mental health and performance in this equation is critical. Mental health is the foundation, the base of the pyramid, upon which we can build the other pillars of the Center of Excellence. When our student-athletes take care of their mental health, they can show up the way they want in the classroom, in their sports, and in all their pursuits in life."
