Morristown, NJ (PRWEB) July 10, 2014
Damon Evans, Founder and Managing Director of Evolution Sports Partners (“ESP”), and former Athletic Director at University of Georgia, has announced that ESP has developed and released SA360™, a breakthrough program to drive student athlete success. SA360™ leverages the company’s deep roots in student success, NCAA athletics and web and mobile engagement. “Our team delivers highly specialized solutions that help student athletes and athletic departments achieve their greatest potential. The program is built off 20+ years of experience with more than 500 institutions regarding student retention, mental health and academic success,” said Damon Evans. Co-founders Peter Kraft and Tracy Howe have also served major colleges and universities through web-based student retention programs and early alert tools, positively impacting more than 3 million students and positively influencing student well-bring and retention rates.
SA360™ is designed to maximize student-athlete success by immersing them in highly engaging, relevant information, tools and resources while providing athletic departments, coaches and staff with real-time data and innovative outreach tools to help and support them. The web and mobile-based program employs personalized dynamic messaging, real-life interactive scenarios, “pulse” surveys, self-tests, virtual mentors, live chat and other features to help students navigate their academic and athletic careers and seek help when needed. There’s also a version of the program for parents of student athletes to gain their alliance and support.
Evolution Sports Partners today released a short video introducing the program, which will debut at several universities this fall. View now at https://vimeo.com/100126105.
“We expect our student-athletes to be superheroes—balancing the physically taxing, time-consuming demands of an NCAA sport with the intensive pressure of college-level academics, while all the time navigating a new social landscape,” said Damon Evans. “Athletic departments possess a genuine desire to help student-athletes succeed on and off the field; however, tools to help student-athletes academically and personally have lagged behind those that help them excel in their sport. SA360™ helps close this critical gap.”
SA360™’s content and features include:
Quick Reads—Crafted for Mobile Millennials: Expert-written, student-approved short-form articles such as 5 NCAA Violations That Most Students Don’t Know, Dealing With the Public Pressure to Win, A Role Model—Like It or Not and What You Don’t Know About Alcohol Is Killing Your Game.
Tailored, Proactive Messaging Technology: Periodic updates (via email and mobile) based on the student-athlete lifecycle as well as each user’s individual engagement trajectory.
Self-Tests and Real-Life Scenarios: Self-tests and interactive “heuristics” that enable students to receive highly customized recommendations based on their individual input.
Virtual Mentors: First-person digital video vignettes on a range of success topics that help convey social norms and help student-athletes navigate the unique challenges they face.
Actionable Data Through Admin Dashboards & Pulse-Surveying™: Pulse surveys garner directional data about students’ progress and disposition throughout the deployment of the SA360™ program. Pulse-Surveying™ also provides immediate feedback from student athletes on their understanding, satisfaction, health and mental wellness. Unlike long-form assessment inventories, pulse surveys are designed to provide staff with early indicators of those at risk through the Staff Dashboard. A live chat option lets students connect directly with advisors.
Expert-Written Content Library: SA360™ enables clients to choose from a diverse set of topics that align with the learning outcomes and pain points of their campus environment as well as existing Life-Skills programming.
Topics include:
- Adversity
- Social Pressures
- Mental Health
- NCAA Compliance
- Alcohol & Substance Abuse
- Bullying
- Diversity & Gender Equity
- Time Management
- Nutrition and Wellness
- Financial Literacy
- Psychology of Winning
- Academic Honesty
- Campus Involvement
- Citizenship
- Career Planning
The company’s advisory board includes Dr. Jennifer Jones, former Director of Retention at the University of Alabama; Keith Tribble, former CEO of the Orange Bowl and Athletic Director of University of Central Florida; and Dr. Michael Adams, former President of University of Georgia.
About Evolution Sports Partners
ESP, founded by Damon Evans, Tracy Howe and Peter Kraft, offers a new breed of programs, data analytics and consulting to Intercollegiate Athletics. The company’s core offerings include SA360™ (for student athlete success), FanGauge™ (for fan acquisition, engagement and retention), Data Analytics and specialized Consulting Services. ESP has offices in Morristown, NJ and Charlotte, NC.