University of Memphis Athletics
Suit 'Em Up
Oct 17, 2018 | General
Tigers student-athletes earn suits by attending professional development seminars.
NOTE: The CAAS/PAWS feature story first appeared in the Tigers Football GameDay program Sept. 22 when Memphis hosted South Alabama.
If you've watched recent men's and women's basketball NCAA Tournaments on television, you've seen the commercial. It runs several times in every game.
The commercial, which features NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, shows student-athletes training for competition. While watching those images, Rice says: "There are over 480,000 college athletes, and only two percent will go pro. That means over 470,000 will not get a shoe contract. No autographs. No private jets. No fan clubs. No hall of fame inductions. Instead, they will walk away with something much more valuable."
What those student-athletes earn is a college degree to help them "go pro" in their line of work. However, while a degree is necessary, it is not the only tool a student-athlete needs to tackle the job market. That's where athletics departments' life skills programs have stepped in.
Katie Woodruff took over the University of Memphis' PAWS (Preparing Athletes for Winning Success) program almost two years ago, and she quickly added a new dimension to the professional development for Tigers student-athletes.
"In summer of 2017, I reached out to other institutions, asking them how they get their student-athletes to think about life after sport," said Woodruff. "I talked with a colleague, Katie (Harbert), at Oregon, and she told me of the suit project they had.
"Oregon student-athletes had to attend four professional development workshops through the year to earn a suit. So, I met with (Memphis former associate athletics director) Courtney (Vinson) to begin the initiative here to encourage our student-athletes. We decided on six events, and we made it where you had to attend three in each semester."
The 2017-18 academic year was the suit program's first, and it provided the student-athletes a wide range of events to aid in their professional development. Some of the PAWS events included résumé writing, career fairs, career prep nights, personal branding, professional dress, conflict/resolution, healthy relationships, emotional intelligence and financial planning.
"The hope is to encourage them to think about creating a résumé, going to job fairs, perform job shadowing – preparing for life after sport," said Woodruff.
The program's first year was a success, as 25 student-athletes took part. Two of those student-athletes, juniors Amberlie Ezell and Matthew Kamph, gave rave reviews about what they learned.
"Our PAWS staff does a great job of providing us professional development opportunities," said Kamph, a distance runner in the track and field program. "It encourages us to take the initiative to not only think about our future, but also surround ourselves with like-minded students and area professionals. So, when we make that transition from the field of play into the real world, we're prepared."
Ezell, a member of the rifle program, added, "It's an empowering program. Sometimes, college student-athletes, and even college students in general, allow time and monetary restrictions to hold them back in their professional development. It makes us think about our future. It's the reason we're in college – to come out and have a good professional career that we're ready for and we also enjoy."
Now, about the suit? Enter the Memphis Suit Project, a local initiative which had its beginnings in 2013.
"We are an organization that works with job seekers to teach them skills to better prepare them for employment," said Meghan Heimke, Executive Director at the Memphis Suit Project. "We do that by partnering with recipient organizations that are already investing in and mentoring job seekers. Our aim is to come alongside them to reinforce the message. That's why we partner with organizations like PAWS for our events.
"I was inspired by the program's commitment to ensure success after sport. That is a very wise and forward-thinking approach – an approach that many college students don't always think of."
For those student-athletes that do finish the program, the prize of a suit at the end is icing on the cake.
"Having the suit is really a great incentive," Kamph said. "I was someone who did not have a suit before this project. By using this as a stepping stone to get a suit, I've been able to get into select classes and a lot of interviews. A lot of doors have opened up."
Ezell said, "I was working on my professional development through other avenues at the University before I heard about the Memphis Suit Project. But, once Katie explained how we could earn a suit, I felt rewarded for my efforts. I was involved beforehand, but after the suit got added in, I said, 'I'm doing this, and this opportunity is not going to slip away.'"
If you've watched recent men's and women's basketball NCAA Tournaments on television, you've seen the commercial. It runs several times in every game.
The commercial, which features NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, shows student-athletes training for competition. While watching those images, Rice says: "There are over 480,000 college athletes, and only two percent will go pro. That means over 470,000 will not get a shoe contract. No autographs. No private jets. No fan clubs. No hall of fame inductions. Instead, they will walk away with something much more valuable."
What those student-athletes earn is a college degree to help them "go pro" in their line of work. However, while a degree is necessary, it is not the only tool a student-athlete needs to tackle the job market. That's where athletics departments' life skills programs have stepped in.
Katie Woodruff took over the University of Memphis' PAWS (Preparing Athletes for Winning Success) program almost two years ago, and she quickly added a new dimension to the professional development for Tigers student-athletes.
"In summer of 2017, I reached out to other institutions, asking them how they get their student-athletes to think about life after sport," said Woodruff. "I talked with a colleague, Katie (Harbert), at Oregon, and she told me of the suit project they had.
"Oregon student-athletes had to attend four professional development workshops through the year to earn a suit. So, I met with (Memphis former associate athletics director) Courtney (Vinson) to begin the initiative here to encourage our student-athletes. We decided on six events, and we made it where you had to attend three in each semester."
The 2017-18 academic year was the suit program's first, and it provided the student-athletes a wide range of events to aid in their professional development. Some of the PAWS events included résumé writing, career fairs, career prep nights, personal branding, professional dress, conflict/resolution, healthy relationships, emotional intelligence and financial planning.
"The hope is to encourage them to think about creating a résumé, going to job fairs, perform job shadowing – preparing for life after sport," said Woodruff.
The program's first year was a success, as 25 student-athletes took part. Two of those student-athletes, juniors Amberlie Ezell and Matthew Kamph, gave rave reviews about what they learned.
"Our PAWS staff does a great job of providing us professional development opportunities," said Kamph, a distance runner in the track and field program. "It encourages us to take the initiative to not only think about our future, but also surround ourselves with like-minded students and area professionals. So, when we make that transition from the field of play into the real world, we're prepared."
Ezell, a member of the rifle program, added, "It's an empowering program. Sometimes, college student-athletes, and even college students in general, allow time and monetary restrictions to hold them back in their professional development. It makes us think about our future. It's the reason we're in college – to come out and have a good professional career that we're ready for and we also enjoy."
Now, about the suit? Enter the Memphis Suit Project, a local initiative which had its beginnings in 2013.
"We are an organization that works with job seekers to teach them skills to better prepare them for employment," said Meghan Heimke, Executive Director at the Memphis Suit Project. "We do that by partnering with recipient organizations that are already investing in and mentoring job seekers. Our aim is to come alongside them to reinforce the message. That's why we partner with organizations like PAWS for our events.
"I was inspired by the program's commitment to ensure success after sport. That is a very wise and forward-thinking approach – an approach that many college students don't always think of."
For those student-athletes that do finish the program, the prize of a suit at the end is icing on the cake.
"Having the suit is really a great incentive," Kamph said. "I was someone who did not have a suit before this project. By using this as a stepping stone to get a suit, I've been able to get into select classes and a lot of interviews. A lot of doors have opened up."
Ezell said, "I was working on my professional development through other avenues at the University before I heard about the Memphis Suit Project. But, once Katie explained how we could earn a suit, I felt rewarded for my efforts. I was involved beforehand, but after the suit got added in, I said, 'I'm doing this, and this opportunity is not going to slip away.'"
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