On October 28, 2022 at Lincoln South Rotary Club our speaker was James Campbell who is a tutor to the UNL Athletic Department.
Jim Cambell took us through some history of the tutoring program at UNL. He explained that the program essentially got its start with the influence of Tom Osborne and and Ursula Walsh, Counselor to Scholarship Athletes who later went on to work at the NCAA as Director of Research.
At that time there was a lot of segregation within the athletic department - the women were on one side while the men were in a different area. In the 90s there was an effort to combine all of the athletes - all genders, all sports, and it included walk-ons as well as recruited athletes. The program also integrated the services so that the student athletic coordinators worked closely with the counselors to support the student athletes.
There are roughly 50 to 75 tutors at any time. Some tutors are UNL Students which requires that they are at the sophomore level and carry at least a 3.0 grade point average. At any time there may be as many as 600 student athletes using the tutoring services.
Jim explained that there is a great deal of training required to become, and continue as, a tutor. There is an intense program to ensure that they know the rules and policies of the NCAA and Big 10. That ensures the integrity of the program - and protects the student and the University.
There is also training to help the tutors with their skills. One of the goals of the tutoring program is to help the student with life skills as well as course skills. There is a log of practice to develop those skills. The tutors need to help the students develop those skills. There is a lot of student engagement.
As Jim stated "we aren't a sage on the stage - we are a guide on the side". The tutors are not the teacher, they are not a substitute teacher, they help guide the students through their studies and skills development.
The tutors are given "permission for tutoring (PFD)" from the instructors. They do not administer tests. They do not replace the required activities. Instead they are given specific items that they can do to guide and mentor the student through completing the requirements for their program.
Speaking on the success of the program, Jim shared that UNL has the most NCAA Academic All-Americans, and have held that top spot for several years. Not only does UNL have the top number in overall sports, but also have the #1 sport in these sports:
Football
Volleyball
Softball
Track & Field
There is also an award for the Top 10 student athletes in the NCAA. The award names 10 student athletes - from among about 480,000 students in the nation. Since the inception of the award, Nebraska has had the most student athletes named - 18. Stanford is next with 16 students.
Of the student athletes in the program, there is a 95% graduation rate. The Average overall Grade Point Average is 3.338 and UNL ranks 3rd in the Big 10.
BIO
1949 – Born and raised in Lincoln NE –University Place
1967 – Graduated Northeast High
1971 – Graduated UNL -- BA and MA in Mathematics
1971-2007 Mathematics Teacher in Lincoln Public Schools
1981-2007 Mathematics Adjunct in UNL Mathematics Dept
2007 -- Retired from teaching
2007-2009 – Worked for the University of Nebraska Foundation
2010- 2016 Rehired part-time by LPS, UNL, and NWU for AP Honors Academy
2016-Present Part-time Mathematics tutor for UNL student athletes
1967 – Graduated Northeast High
1971 – Graduated UNL -- BA and MA in Mathematics
1971-2007 Mathematics Teacher in Lincoln Public Schools
1981-2007 Mathematics Adjunct in UNL Mathematics Dept
2007 -- Retired from teaching
2007-2009 – Worked for the University of Nebraska Foundation
2010- 2016 Rehired part-time by LPS, UNL, and NWU for AP Honors Academy
2016-Present Part-time Mathematics tutor for UNL student athletes
1986-1989 Member of the Nebraska Math Scholarship Program
1990 Served as a Senior Scholar for the Nebraska Math Scholar Program
1993 Donald Miller/Rotary Math Recognition ward
2004 Scottish Rite Distinguished Teaching Award
2004 Distinguished Member of National Society of Collegiate Scholars
2006 Nebraska State Teacher of the Year Finalist
1990 Served as a Senior Scholar for the Nebraska Math Scholar Program
1993 Donald Miller/Rotary Math Recognition ward
2004 Scottish Rite Distinguished Teaching Award
2004 Distinguished Member of National Society of Collegiate Scholars
2006 Nebraska State Teacher of the Year Finalist
Life time member of Sons of American Legion
Married for 32 years—Step daughter Michelle & son-in-law Scott Eckman and two beautiful granddaughters Ellie (age 15) and Harper (age 8)
Hobbies include golfing, traveling and eating out with my wife Sandi, and spending time with my granddaughters
My WARM FUZZIES: Working with young people!
Married for 32 years—Step daughter Michelle & son-in-law Scott Eckman and two beautiful granddaughters Ellie (age 15) and Harper (age 8)
Hobbies include golfing, traveling and eating out with my wife Sandi, and spending time with my granddaughters
My WARM FUZZIES: Working with young people!