Boué named first Asst. Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Development

By Anna Wilde     8/21/08 7:00pm

In addition to the outward changes to the Rice Athletic Department after the hiring of Athletic Director Chris Del Conte, most notably improvements to Reckling Park and Autry Court, changes are also occurring from within the Athletic Department, as Suzanne Boué (Wiess '91) has been named Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development. This new position will consolidate several tasks aimed toward Rice student-athlete support previously accomplished by various athletic department members. "Pieces of what I'm doing have been done in the Athletic Department before, but all by people who have an awful lot on their plate already," Boué said.

Boué, who studied human performance and health sciences at Rice and earned a degree in sport management and sports medicine, received her graduate degree in sport management from the University of Massachusetts. She started her career in sport management at the athletic department at the University of Michigan and moved to Chicago to work with the Chicago Cubs. While working with professional football players for a sport management company in Chicago, she heard about one of Rice's newest positions from a Rice alumna in the area.

"I actually wasn't looking for a job at all, and sort of stumbled upon this position," explained Boué.

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After applying for the position, Boué was appointed in July. She said she looks forward to being a resource for Rice's student-athletes in a variety of ways, from moral support, to helping students find an agent when pursuing a professional athletic career after college, to helping to establish contacts for future careers outside of sports after athletes receive their degrees. Boué said she plans to forge connections with Rice student organizations and campus resources such as the Wellness Center, the Career Services Center, the Community Involvement Center and Leadership Rice. She said these connections will not only help graduating student-athletes with their future plans after college, but also will help to integrate incoming student-athletes into the Rice community and sustain current student-athletes in their academic, athletic and extracurricular pursuits.

The schedules of students-athletes are filled with practices so that they are busy and often keep different hours from their classmates - this is especially apparent during Orientation Week. But Boué said she hopes to find ways to build bridges between athletes and the general student body.

"Our goals here mirror the goals of [Rice] as a whole," she said. "We want to get student athletes more involved in things like O-Week. We're finding ways to make some bridges between the two groups, trying to get student-athletes more involved in day-to-day campus life."

Boué models her work after the specifications of the NCAA's Challenging Athletes' Minds for Personal Success/Life Skills Program, which has provided support and services for participating institutions since 1994. At Rice, she hopes to place emphasis on three of the five elements promoted through the CHAMPS/Life Skills program: personal development, professional development and community service. In addition to establishing bridges between the athletic department and different campus organizations and resources, Boué plans to work with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at Rice, a leadership organization comprised of representatives from each of Rice's athletic teams. The inclusion of former Rice student-athletes in advising current student-athletes will help to introduce role models for students, who may at times feel overwhelmed by the pressures of both athletics and academia, Boué said. She said her experiences as an athletic trainer during her years at Rice will also give her a unique perspective when advising athletes.

Boué said her biggest challenge will be addressing each athlete's needs.

"There are 350-plus student-athletes at Rice and only one of me," Boué said.

However daunting a task this may seem, Boué future work with Rice's student-athletes is already creating a buzz of positive expectation.

"She should be very beneficial for the Athletic Department and I have high hopes for her and what she says she'll be doing," Martel College sophomore and track athlete Bridget Ugoh said.

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