Winning isn鈥檛 everything, nor is it the only thing for Carnegie Mellon鈥檚 new Director of Athletics Susan Bassett. She says it鈥檚 the role athletics plays in the students鈥� overall educational experience, that overshadow the victories and defeats.
鈥淭hrough athletics students are taught the value of experience and dedication, how to work with their teammates toward a common goal, and how to deal with disappointments and success. It鈥檚 how students use this experience to grow that defines the quality of the experience,鈥� she says.
Sure. Easy for someone to say who鈥檚 had the kind of success that Bassett has had (see ). But she鈥檚 sincere. She says her goal at Carnegie Mellon is to build a comprehensive athletic and fitness program for all students commensurate with the university鈥檚 world-class academic standing. That includes intercollegiate sports as well as intramural and club sports, and fitness, aquatic, recreation and wellness programs.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e truly committed to excellence, I don鈥檛 think you can choose to be better in one aspect over another. We鈥檒l strive to bring out the best in all that we do. We want to own the intersection between athletics and academics,鈥� says Bassett, taking a page from the Tepper School of Business, which has staked its claim to the intersection between business and technology.
Bassett admits that she didn鈥檛 exactly find the athletic cupboard bare when she arrived in July. She says she鈥檚 very impressed with the intercollegiate, intramural and club sports programs and with the fitness, wellness, aquatic and recreation aspects of the department. 鈥淚 feel Carnegie Mellon has made a significant commitment to the general student body and we have the fundamentals in place. We have excellent people who have the students best interests at heart.
鈥淚 value a lot of what鈥檚 in place, but we need to improve and move our endeavors to the forefront of campus life,鈥� she says.
To do that, Bassett has created a task force within the Athletic Department to assess the programs being offered to the student body. She also plans to collaborate with student life groups, such as Housing, Health Services and Student Activities.
鈥淎re we progressive, comprehensive and current? Are our training techniques and teaching methods at the cutting edge? Are we taking advantage of all the knowledge that exists from sports psychology and exercise physiology? These are the things we need to employ to enhance what we do,鈥� she says.
Another key ingredient in moving forward, according to Bassett, is a new athletic facility to replace the old Skibo Gym. It鈥檚 something that has been talked about for years and Bassett is optimistic for the future.
As she looks out her office window in Skibo Gym she envisions a new campus field house not far from the Tepper School . . .at the intersection between athletics and academics.
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