General | 2/28/2017 1:43:00 PM

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — Shippensburg University held its sixth annual Scholar-Athlete and Faculty/Staff Luncheon on Mon., Feb. 27, in the Tuscarora Room.
 
The annual event recognizes student-athletes with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 or higher and affords them an opportunity to share their appreciation with a chosen faculty or staff mentor. This year's program listed 184 SU student-athletes who currently hold "Scholar-Athlete" status. Their names are listed in the PDF-program attached above.
 
The student keynote speaker was Anna Snee, a redshirt-sophomore soccer player. Snee is majoring in psychology while seeking a minor in art. She currently holds a 3.81 cumulative GPA.
 
Snee spoke for her fellow student-athletes' appreciation for all of the academic support they receive. "To be a part of a university that has professors, coaches and administrators that actively advocate for us and support us is an incredible experience. They make finding and maintaining that balance of being a student-athlete much, much easier. Without them, the journey would be hard to endure and close to impossible for us to navigate."
 
Snee also discussed her appreciation for her mentor, Dr. Suzanne Morin, of the psychology department, and was able to relate her experiences to those of the other student athletes in the room.
 
"While I told just a short part of my story, I know my experience is not unique," Snee said. "We have all had a moment, an experience, a story with a mentor that has helped shape us into who we are, helped motivate us to strive for more and has helped support us in our academic success."
 
Dr. Christine Senecal was the faculty keynote speaker. Senecal, a professor in the history department, discussed the qualities of student-athletes she has appreciated and learned from, including excellence, dealing with failure and balance.
 
"With your athleticism and your attention to grades, and oh, also that need to sleep and eat and maybe have social lives, that's impressive," Senecal said. "That's a goal to be aspired to. I've really enjoyed watching and talking with students who have, much more closely than I have, achieve this ideal balance."
 
Senecal thanked the student-athletes for teaching her lessons that she wished she could have learned as a college student herself.
 
"I learn from you more than probably vice versa in many, many ways."
 
Caleb Bartlett, a senior thrower on the men's track and field team and vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), introduced the 2017 Faculty of the Year recipient, Dr. Alison Luce-Fedrow.
 
In introducing Fedrow, Bartlett noted that 10 different scholar-athletes at the luncheon had selected her as their mentor. "This is extraordinary, and is a testament to her attention and support of her students," Bartlett said.
 
"Some of my very best students are and have been student-athletes," said Fedrow, an immunologist/microbiologist in the department of biology at SU. "You represent yourself and Shippensburg to the nth degree, and this is a good thing for the whole university."
 
The presentation concluded with the Department of Athletics awarding the annual Academic Team Champion Awards for highest grade-point averages. The winners are pictured below.