January 2005

December and January were busy months at Saint Mary's as we finished the first semester and welcomed a new President, Brother Ron Gallagher, F.S.C.

Academic Performance
Our student-athletes continue to perform in the classroom. The women's tennis team continues to have the highest cumulative grade point average posting a 3.525. Their effort for the fall term was also tops at 3.496. The women's soccer team has moved into second place on both the cumulative and fall term list. The top performing men's team is tennis, with a cumulative grade point average of 3.074, which was good for sixth place and a fall term average of 2.991, also good for sixth place. The team demonstrating the greatest improvement in grade-point-average from the fall of 2003 to the fall of 2004 was men's basketball, which improved by 0.228.

Four student-athletes were selected to the 2004 Fall All-Academic Team in their sport, two each from the sports of volleyball and men's soccer.

We are committed to performance in the classroom and to position our student-athletes for success in the larger game of life. The commitment our student-athletes have to performing in the classroom and taking advantage of the opportunity to earn a degree from an institution the quality of Saint Mary's is worthy of high praise.

Report to Trustees
On Thursday, January 27th I was asked to update the Trustees on the progress we have made on our strategic plan. My report included that the "immediate" resources that were to be directed toward our growing Recreational Sports program have all been implemented. This included adding two, full-time positions (a Coordinator of Club Sports and a Coordinator of Intramural Programs) and adding more than $96,000 to the budget. With these resources, the Recreational Sports program added an additional 30 days of programming this past Fall semester and 14 new programs. We are working to enhance club sport offerings and opportunities as well.

As of this July 1, 2005, we will have allocated an additional $280,000 to the operations budgets for our 14 intercollegiate sports to accommodate team travel, purchase equipment and uniforms, and assist with paying other expenses of each team. An additional 12.34 grants-in-aid will be allocated to the 14 intercollegiate sports for the next academic year. Finally, on July 1, we will have allocated an additional 7.5 full-time equivalent coaching positions to the athletic function with almost all of the positions going to enhance our coaching staffs.

While we are making significant progress, much work remains to be done. Soon, we will hire a consultant to review our athletic and recreational sport facilities to make recommendations for the future. We will need everyone's help as we get started on this big project.

We believe that our athletic and recreational sport programs are part of the fabric of Saint Mary's and that we owe the same commitment to excellence in the providing of resources, coaches, and facilities to these programs as we do to providing the best faculty and academic facilities.

Thank You
With the end of the calendar year, I am reminded of the tremendous support the College and our student-athletes receive from our alumni, parents, friends, and donors. Whether you are helping a club sport such as men's or women's Rugby dream about a better field to play on, supporting grants-in-aid for our men's and women's tennis teams, or attending competitions, banquets, or other events to support our student-athletes, we appreciate and value your continued support.

Together Everyone Achieves More!

Go Gaels!

Carl