Excellence Academy Brochure (PDF)
The Indiana University Excellence Academy is the most innovative and comprehensive personal development program in all of intercollegiate athletics. We focus on the holistic development of the entire person to develop healthy students with a toolbox of skills and resources to provide an exceptional college experience, including athletics, that will prepare them for an outstanding life experience, after athletics.
The Excellence Academy complements our world-class academic support and athletic performance services to provide comprehensive personal development programs in six major areas to help prepare young men and women for great lives and success both in and after college: physical and mental wellness; nutrition services; elite-athlete development; leadership and life skills; service learning; and career development.
Through intentional and integrated core programs, as well as elective opportunities, the Excellence Academy enables our students to: be well in mind, body, and spirit; reach their highest potential and become champions; be unselfish leaders and teammates; learn to serve, lead and follow; integrate with the broader university community and become a part of something bigger than themselves; and grow into confident young men and women prepared to face the world and start their careers. The vision of the Excellence Academy is based on the belief that a wholly developed person will be more successful both in sport and in life.
Physical and Mental Wellness: The Spirit of Indiana calls us to be well in mind, body and spirit. We provide every student-athlete with comprehensive, high-quality medical, dental, vision, psychological, rehabilitation and related health care services at no cost, through expertly trained physicians, psychologists, athletic trainers, and other health care professionals in modern medical facilities with state-of-the-art equipment. Throughout its programming the Excellence Academy vigorously addresses four issues we believe to be particularly critical to the physical and mental wellness of college students: healthy relationships and other sexual misconduct prevention; alcohol and drug education; personal responsibility (including sound decision-making; positive conflict resolution; and preventing hazing, bullying and other abusive behaviors); and diversity and inclusivity (especially as it relates to race, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, and gender identity).
Nutrition Services: As a distinct and complementary component of student wellness, we provide the services of two full time certified sports nutritionists who provide individual and team-based nutrition wellness support and education. We make available to all student-athletes full training table meals on the Athletics campus plus, at no cost to any student-athlete, convenient nutrition centers with meals and snacks available throughout the day. The Excellence Academy’s 10,000 square foot Tobias Nutrition Center will be one of the premier nutrition facilities and dining spaces in all of intercollegiate athletics.
Elite Athlete Development: The Spirit of Indiana calls us to reach our highest athletic potential and win championships. We provide comprehensive, integrated services through nationally recognized professionals, first-class facilities, state-of-the-art equipment, cutting-edge technology, research, education, and applied science to assess, monitor, diagnose, test, treat, educate, condition, and develop our students into healthy elite athletes who thereby reach their absolute highest athletic potential and win championships. The IU Health Center for Elite Athlete Development focuses on cardiovascular testing, diagnosis, and research; neuro-cognitive issues; visual research and training; bio-mechanical monitoring and sleep, rest and recovery education.
Leadership and Life Skills: The Spirit of Indiana calls us to be unselfish leaders and teammates. The Excellence Academy teaches our students how to put that call into action and to learn the skills necessary to enjoy independent, productive and successful lives as leaders in their communities. It starts with an individual personality assessment as part of each student gaining a detailed sense of who they are and how they best interact with others. They learn and embrace the tenets of the Spirit of Indiana: 24 Sports, One Team. Through a distinct required core curriculum, as well as various rich elective opportunities, students have access to varied leadership programming and opportunities; prepare for and successfully address the unique challenges student-athletes face when transitioning in and out of college; learn how to make a difference through peer mentoring, by-stander intervention, and other programs; and receive training in important life skills such as financial literacy and the proper use of social media.
Service Learning: The Spirit of Indiana calls us to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. The Excellence Academy helps us do this through its “Hoosiers Helping Hoosiers” program which focuses on three areas: Hoosier Readers: improving childhood literacy; Healthy Hoosiers: encouraging physical activity and healthy nutrition choices with children; and Hoosiers Giving Hope: providing special experiences to Hoosier families facing difficulties and supporting specific causes such as breast cancer awareness and Riley Children’s Hospital.
Career Development: The Excellence Academy builds on an Indiana University education to provide the skills and resources our students need to grow into confident young men and women prepared to face the world and start their careers. This preparation includes: the services of a full-time, in-house career counselor; our own summer internship program; travel abroad experiences through the Coach for College Program; networking nights; and employer presentations with an emphasis on those who understand the special value that student-athletes bring to their careers. The Excellence Academy also sponsors a “Career Boot Camp” where our students fine tune their skills in resume writing, interview preparation, job search strategies, and other career development skills.
The Excellence Academy Speaker Series: Each year the Excellence Academy sponsors nationally recognized speakers and program leaders for our students as an integral and impactful component of its overall programming.
