{"id":306198,"date":"2020-06-05T13:00:50","date_gmt":"2020-06-05T17:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/?p=306198"},"modified":"2023-11-08T20:19:42","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T01:19:42","slug":"first-ever-study-of-the-culture-of-harvard-athletics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2020\/06\/first-ever-study-of-the-culture-of-harvard-athletics\/","title":{"rendered":"Student-athletes pleased with time on teams, but balancing commitments difficult"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t
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Rose Lincoln\/Harvard file photo<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tCampus & Community\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t

\n\t\tStudent-athletes pleased with time on teams, but balancing commitments difficult\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t
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\n\t\tManisha Aggarwal-Schifellite\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\t\tHarvard Staff Writer\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tResults of first-ever study of Harvard Athletics to be used for strategic planning as program approaches centennial\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n
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A first-ever study of Harvard Athletics found that the majority of student-athletes consider their experience on teams to be formative, rewarding, and demanding, and they feel supported by coaches, teammates, and the athletics staff. It also revealed that many find it difficult to balance academics, athletics, and social lives.<\/p>\n

The study, released last Friday, was commissioned by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to inform strategic planning for the department, as it approaches its centennial anniversary in 2026. A team of researchers from the organizational consulting firm Mercer studied the culture of athletics at Harvard and documented the experience of student-athletes and members of the department. Using various data-collection techniques, including interviews, surveys, and on-campus observations, researchers gathered feedback from students, coaches, staff, faculty, administrators, alumni, and fans from September 2019 through May 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen reviewing the results emerging from the Mercer study, I was particularly struck by the voices of our student-athletes, who spoke so honestly and openly about their experiences,\u201d wrote Claudine Gay<\/a>, Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, in her letter to the Harvard Athletics community. \u201cIn that candor, I see both opportunity and motivation for our work together to support them and enable their success, on and off the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

A survey of student-athletes, conducted as part of the study, found that the vast majority of the 827 respondents feel they are learning important life lessons at Harvard (93 percent) and feel happy about their decision to attend (91 percent). Of the student-athletes who completed the survey, 65 percent said that they valued the sense of community, camaraderie, and friendship that their team provides.<\/p>\n\r\n

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