The Academic Affairs Office (AAO) at New York University has been officially renamed the Office of Student-Athlete Excellence (OSAE), has relocated to 404 Lafayette Street and reports to Ryan Poynter in NYU's Office of the Associate Vice Provost of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
After taking over as Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs and Director of Athletics in Summer 2020,
Stuart Robinson has presided over many changes to NYU's Athletic Department, and the creation of the OSAE is the newest iteration of that.
Ryan Westman, who serves as Director of Academic and Student-Athlete Support Services & Compliance Officer, spoke about the department's rebranding and what it means for NYU student-athletes.
Q&A WITH RYAN WESTMAN
Q: Why is this name change important?
This change is important for a variety of reasons, the primary one being that we want to make sure that we are in alignment with the needs of our students. The Office of Student-Athlete Excellence will pivot our focus to be supporting the student-athlete experience in ways that will enhance student-athlete leadership acumen, provide guidance for their professional ambitions, and enhance the culture of all NYU Athletics programs.
Q: What prompted the change?
This change is a result of a new vision for NYU Athletics with the arrival of
Stuart Robinson as the Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs and Director of Athletics in Summer of 2020. Stuart conveyed the vision of a "student-athlete experience" for every varsity NYU Athletics student-athlete. The result of this vision is the planning and implementation of a four-year NYU student-athlete leadership academy, to be overseen by the Office of Student-Athlete Excellence.
Q: Is this a trend throughout colleges or is it an NYU initiative?
Leadership Academies have been a staple of student-athlete experiences since the formal advent of Leadership Academies in the early 2000's in many Division-I institutions. The concept of a Leadership Academy expanded upon the NCAA Life-Skills programming and focused on empowering student-athletes to be leaders in their teams, communities, and for life after sport. NYU hopes to follow the growing trend in Division III colleges and universities to launch similar programs to ensure student-athletes continue to develop their abilities outside of the classroom. The OSAE will also maintain its advising guidance of student-athletes to help them navigate their academic and athletic responsibilities and aspirations.
Q: How is the change going to be beneficial?
This formal change will help our office put a greater emphasis on forward-facing student support. As the AAO previously balanced its efforts in compliance and eligibility, admissions & recruitment, student-athlete life & development, and academic support and awards - the OSAE will place an emphasis on student-athlete development and academic support. We feel this pivot will build more empowering support networks and formalize leadership development skills for student-athletes.
Q: What has been the reaction to the change from student-athletes?
We are very excited that the student-athlete response has been incredibly positive to the change, and we look forward to continuing conversations with them to build a future that will benefit NYU student-athletes for generations to come.
