Browsing by Author "Svihla, Alise C."
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- The Academic Experience of African-American Male Student-AthletesHill, Ahmed (Virginia Tech, 2019-12-09)This paper explores the academic experience of former African-American student-athletes who have graduated from Virginia Tech. Student-athletes choose to attend college for many different reasons and once enrolled, they often face challenges such as time management. Academic support centers have developed throughout the country at various institutions to assist student-athletes with the academic challenges that they may face. Through interviews with former student-athletes, this paper was developed to answer two research questions: What experiences have positively impacted African-American male student-athletes’ academic success and graduation? And, what support initiatives and/or programs have student-athlete support offices implemented at Virginia Tech to support African-American male student-athletes? Seven former student-athletes were interviewed in this study and results show that the majority of those interviewed chose to attend Virginia Tech to play basketball and to receive a strong education. The biggest challenge faced by student-athletes was time management. The most utilized resources were: academic advisors, professors, tutoring, and relationships with coaches, teammates, and others. All of the student-athletes interviewed had a positive experience at Virginia Tech and were pleased with their decision to obtain a degree. In terms of the programming for African-Americans, common themes were that they did not want to be stereotyped. Implications and recommendations based on this research include continuing to support the African-American student-athlete population by developing relationships with them.
- Strategies to Improve Volunteer Retention at 1040 InitiativeRivers, Lydia (Virginia Tech, 2020-08-04)Volunteerism has played a major role worldwide, benefiting and helping many across the globe (Connors, 2012). A key component to volunteerism is the importance of volunteer retention. Volunteer retention is an imperative component of nonprofit organizations, because many nonprofits rely on volunteers to provide services (Unkefer, 2016). If the management of volunteers is consistent in their efforts to retain volunteers, organization leaders can began focusing their efforts elsewhere. Throughout this study a focus was placed on the volunteers of the program in hopes to gain a better understanding of their motives for staying involved in the organization. A program evaluation was conducted to decipher strategies that improve retention within a faith-based non-profit organization, 1040 Initiative (1040i). The search for the most effective strategies to improve the retainment of volunteers requires a qualitative approach. A qualitive approach that is based on a theoretical implication was used to interpret the current strategies of the program to ensure effectiveness. Interviews were conducted to compare current strategies and implement new strategies to improve retention among 1040i volunteers. The interview process allows for greater insight as personal experiences and observations were shared by the volunteers (Rowley, 2012). Emerging themes developed throughout the process providing valuable information that can be used for program growth in the area of volunteer retention.
- The Transition from High School Girls Basketball to Division One ACC Women’s Basketball at Virginia TechBrooks, Kendyl L.; Rateau, Richard J.; Svihla, Alise; Drape, Tiffany A. (Virginia Tech, 2021-08-11)This research study evaluated the strategies and resources available to support female basketball players as they transition from high school to college at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). This study highlights the importance of fulfilling these resources that are needed to ensure the success and smooth transition for the student-athletes. Interviews were conducted and data was analyzed to provide recommendations. Specifically, six interviews were conducted with freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior student-athletes on the Virginia Tech women’s basketball team. Interview questions focused on the challenges that they faced when they transitioned from high school to college, the expectations they had when they arrived and how those may have differed, and the resources they have used to assist them with the transition. With this analysis, those who are in leadership positions can improve their programming efforts and ensure they are built around helping female student-athletes and supporting their specific needs. It was found that many of the interviewees had similar responses to the questions asked. The themes that were found within the interviews were building relationships within the program, being welcomed in - the importance of the culture, time management, stress management and advice they would offer based on their experiences. The study showed that with support and sufficient resources, the experience was more pleasant and was smoother for the student-athletes.