SAN JOSE, Calif. - Director of Athletics Jeff Konya announced on Friday that San José State Athletics will launch new support for its student-athletes through the Alston Ruling, allowing athletic departments to add academic achievement awards to eligible student-athletes. The Spartans are one of the first Mountain West members to provide this additional support.
"We recognized that this would be a great opportunity to provide this benefit to our student-athletes," said Konya. "I want to thank our leadership team for developing a program to help facilitate this for our Spartans, as well as the donors that are making it a priority to provide additional funds to help secure a cutting-edge experience for our student-athletes. I also would like to thank Steve Coates for his major gift in this space."
All scholarship athletes will have the opportunity to earn the Alston award through extensive participation with the Beyond Sparta program. In addition, individual sport programs may provide further payments based on objective academic criteria.
"We wanted to be creative and innovative in how we were going to provide this opportunity to our student-athletes knowing that it would be one of the few of its kind in the Mountain West," said Laura Alexander, Senior Associate AD for Student Wellness and Leadership Development. "Our athletics department values the development of our student-athletes beyond their participation in sport which is why we decided to directly link Alston money earnings to their participation in Beyond Sparta/Professional Development programming, in hopes that we can encourage them to set themselves up for success not only on the field, but off the field."
What they are saying ...
Brent Brennan, head football coach
"We are excited about the vision of our leadership team to add this incredible opportunity for our players. This support is another positive investment in all of our student-athletes and helps San José State become a destination for top prospects."
Tobruk Blaine, Assistant AD for Student-Athlete Development
"Beyond Sparta is a voluntary student-athlete development program with over 60 percent student-athlete participation. Our innovative approach through Alston allows us to elevate program initiatives and increase student-athlete engagement. This intersection of Alston and Beyond Sparta proves our department is committed to Student-Athlete Development!"
Dana Dormann, head women's golf coach
"The Alston money our student-athletes will receive allows them more freedom to be giving and productive members in our community. In addition, this money will allow us to attract the highest level recruits who are able to receive Alston money from our competitors. We have had some fantastic results in the classroom and this is a really impactful way to recognize their hard work."
Tim Miles, head men's basketball coach
"The prospect for our student-athletes to receive Alston funds is a great opportunity. It's a win-win for everyone involved. Donors can provide a tax-deductible gift that directly helps the students and our players can improve themselves academically and financially while improving their life skills."
April Phillips, head women's basketball coach
"The Alston award truly improves and impacts the experience our student-athletes will have here at San José State. It's indicative of the direction and leadership of our athletics department and university and their commitment to gaining competitive advantages in the Mountain West."
#AllSpartans