Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 9 No. 4 | March 2017

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Chris Helms, Tech’s senior associate AD for administration and
sports programs, oversees this piece. He and Jeff Kinney, a men’s
soccer assistant coach, came up with a curriculum, which is based
on identifying and enhancing professional competencies, with goals
to promote professional growth, improve self-awareness, develop
coaching competencies, and guide career development.
The sessions cover a range of topics, including leadership style,
communications (media and social media), organization development
(hiring), recruiting, fiscal responsibility and culture of excellence.
Starting last September (and running through this May), Helms
held a monthly session for any assistant or
associate coach who wanted to take part.
Interested coaches first needed to complete
a short application and also receive the
endorsement of his/her head coach. He invites
a speaker—either internally or from across
campus—to speak on a specific competency,
and then the group discusses the presentation
before being assigned a short homework
assignment.
Approximately 15 assistant or associate coaches attend the monthly
sessions.
“We hope the outcome is to grow personally and professionally,”
Helms said. “Ultimately, we want to equip them with the concepts
and competencies, so that, should they aspire to be a head coach,
they’ll be better prepared to sit in front of someone who may be
interviewing them for a job and be able to articulate what their
coaching philosophy is.
“This is the pilot year. It’s not a done deal, but we’ve got a framework,
and we’re learning as much as they are as to how to effectively have an
impact for those coaches. If they stay here, they’re better in their roles,
and should they want to keep growing professionally, we’ve given them
the skillset to do that, too.”
PLANNING FOR
THE FUTURE
Much of what the department’s Leadership Institute encompasses
is exclusive to Virginia Tech. White and Dr. Bennett have spoken
at Habitudes conferences, and White fields numerous calls from
colleagues nationwide about the study abroad opportunities. Miller
was chosen to go to an NCAA Leadership Academy Workshop. Helms
gets the feeling that there are few programs nationwide that focus on
leadership for assistant and associate coaches.
They want to do even more—but more requires funds. Additional
financial resources would allow for advance site visits for study
abroad courses, cover costs for any staff seminars/symposiums that
they themselves want to attend, and allow for additional curriculum
purchases.
Also, extra financial resources would provide much-needed help
for parts of their bigger vision. Study abroad sites could be expanded
to places like Rwanda and South Africa— locations that provide rich
cultural and historical stories. In addition, they would like to organize
a summer leadership camp locally for elementary and high school
students. This would be planned, implemented
and run by LAT, giving Tech’s student-athletes
another opportunity to put their leadership
skills to use.
White, with help from the Hokie Club,
hopes to meet with prospective donors this
spring and discuss the value of the Leadership
Institute.
“We have a vision, but we’ll need some
help to attain that vision,” White said. “If we
were able to secure some more resources, the impact on our student-
athletes would be immeasurable.”
In many ways, the impact already is. Ulrich
originally wanted to use her future degree
in human nutrition, foods and exercise
to get into the medical field. Now,
she’s contemplating a career in global
development or perhaps working for
a non-profit organization.
“It’s [the Leadership Institute] not
about athletics,” Ulrich said. “It’s not
like, ‘Oh, you’re going to be better at
your sport.’ That’s not the purpose.
“It’s about being a better teammate and
being a better person. It’s about you going
out into the world and realizing it’s not about yourself. In a sense, it
betters you, and if you’re a better person, you’ll make other people
better.”
Learning about leadership doesn’t necessarily require attending
expensive events or shelling out for speakers with expertise on the
topics. On the contrary, a creative staff, a commitment to student-
athlete betterment, an innovative educational model, and a vision for
the future can accomplish all of that and so much more.
The athletics department’s Leadership Institute is tangible proof
of that.