The Office of Student Athlete Development at the University of Miami is committed to the personal and professional development of our student-athlete population. We support the student-athletes by focusing on: Personal Enhancement, Community Outreach, Leadership Development and Career Competence. These components make up our comprehensive programming under Canes Connect.
PROGRAMMING
SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee)
SAAC is our student-athlete leadership organization. SAAC assists with our community outreach and planning of our educational and developmental programming. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s mission…To serve as a liaison between all student-athletes and administration, to better enhance the student athlete overall experience, and to unite the University of Miami athletic family.
Community Outreach
Second Spoon Project (Supporting Miami-Dade’s homeless population), George W. Carver Elementary School, CARE Elementary School, Miami Mission Shelter, South Miami Community Center and Holtz Children Hospital are a sample of the many organizations we partner with to provide support and community engagement. For the 2022 -2023 school year our student athletes logged a total of 8,042 hours of community service from June 1, 2022 – May 31, 2023. They also won the Helper Helper NCAA Community Engagement Challenge, ranking #1 in Community Outreach overall.
Career Competence
We collaborate with the University of Miami’s Toppel Career Center to provide professional leadership and career development for our student-athlete population, in addition to our own department programming. Toppel conducts many workshops and presentations during the year, which are available to all students at the University of Miami. We also provide customized programs for our student-athletes regarding career development: networking, resume building, professional attire, interview skills, career panels and career fairs.
HER (Honor.Empower.Rise) Women’s Leadership Academy
HER was created in 2022 to develop and guide our women student-athletes in their leadership journey. This one-year program consists of high level programming and mentorship designed to enhance leadership capabilities. Participants are selected through a competitive application process.
Hurricane Leadership Academy
This Leadership Development program focuses on accountability, self-awareness and personal growth, as well as collective and individual leadership. Student-athletes will discover their own leadership skills and styles, in addition to recognizing when and how to use them. Participants are nominated by their coach and remain in the program for a one-year period
Hurricane 101 Series: (Educational and Developmental Workshops)
We conduct a series of workshops for all freshman and new transfer student-athletes during the fall, spring & summer semesters. The topics include the following: Campus Resources, Dean of Students Office, Toppel Career Center, Diversity & Inclusion, Student Athlete Identity, Sexual Assault Education/Prevention and Drug & Alcohol Awareness. We provide additional workshops to all student-athletes as needed or requested.
The U Network
Once a Cane, Always a Cane! We have a variety of resources for alumni ranging from career services, to free online classes and more. The U Network continues to support former student-athletes and provide them with tools to be successful beyond their years on campus.
Hurricane Honors
Hurricane Honors is an evening to honor those who give their time, effort and energy for the sake of their fellow student-athletes, athletic department, campus and community.
