HAMMOND, La. – In an effort to better prepare its student-athletes for leadership positions and help hone necessary life skills, Southeastern Louisiana Athletics has created the Lion Leadership Institute, Director of Athletics Jay Artigues announced Wednesday.
 
"We want to make sure we accomplish our job of developing a holistic student-athlete," Artigues said. "Our mission statement is excellence in the classroom, the community and competition, but real-life life skills are something our student-athletes need to succeed. We don't want them to leave here just better students and better athletes. We also want them to leave here better people."
 
The mission of the Lion Leadership Institute (LLI) is to expand on the athletic department's mission statement, creating opportunities for Southeastern student-athletes to grow and mature in areas beyond athletic competition.
 
"There are certain things you don't think about," Artigues said. "Things that used to be taught but have fallen by the wayside, like how to balance a checkbook, open a bank account or approach a job interview. We want to prepare them for life once they leave here. Andrew Gipson is the perfect person to lead this initiative. He understands what is at stake and how to enable our student-athletes to succeed in life."
 
Having helped guide the Lion Baseball program to championship heights during five seasons on Matt Riser's staff, Gipson is now tasked with helping mold championship leaders throughout the entire department. Southeastern's interim Assistant Athletic Director for Student Services, Gipson spent the summer cultivating an ever-evolving catalog of resources for Southeastern coaches and student-athletes.
 
Areas of focus for the Lion Leadership Institute include career development, leadership development, personal development, financial education and community engagement. The resources are various campus and community members skilled and experienced in one or more of those areas. The aim is to empower coaches to schedule the resources as they see fit based on what best fits their schedule. The goal is to have coaches schedule one or more of these resources from each focus area throughout the academic year.
 
"We wanted to make the implementation customizable," Gipson said. "We have a tremendous group of forward-thinking leaders among our coaches. Through this setup, they have the ability to pick à la carte what they feel is most important to their group. It also allows them to choose the time of the year that the message is best delivered. We have developed quite an extensive catalog of resources that is at their disposal year-round."
 
Coaches will have ready access to team programming they previously needed to seek out independently, but student-athletes can also request topics for team activities or tap into the institute's resources individually.
 
Every resource in the LLI catalog is a Southeastern supporter, whether they are a graduate, professor, staff or a community member. The one thing that unites all is their love and unwavering support for the university, the student-athletes and the enrichment of their lives.
 
"The foundation of the entire program is based on using our people to help our student-athletes," Gipson said. "We aren't bringing in speakers from across the country that are only here for only an hour or two, moving on to their next speaking engagement the following day. There is plenty of value in those professionals, but for our program, it was important that we have the ability for follow-up conversations between resources and student-athletes. All of our resources are on our campus, in our community and embedded in Lion Nation. For obvious reasons, it allows more room for growth which aligns with the mission of the program."
 
More information on how to connect with the Lion Leadership Institute can be found online at www.LionSports.net/LLI or by contacting Gipson at (985) 520-1421 or andrew.gipson@southeastern.edu.
 
"Our relationships with the Hammond community and the surrounding region is special," Gipson said. "If you or your business wants to get involved with Lion Leadership Institute, we would welcome the conversation and your time."
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep abreast of Lion Leadership Institute activities by following @LionUp_LLI on Twitter or Instagram and liking /LionUpLLI on Facebook.
 
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
"On behalf of North Oaks Health System, I am thrilled to support the Lion Leadership Institute by hosting the annual luncheon allowing student-athletes to partner with SLU alumni or community individuals recognized as accomplished professionals in their respective fields. As a Lion for Life, I appreciate the opportunity to pay it forward to our future generation. And, I applaud Jay Artigues and his team for this innovative initiative to ensure athletes are just as prepared to be successful off the field and in life as they are on the field or court."
 -Michelle Sutton, President & CEO of North Oaks Health Systems
 
"As a participant in the Lion Leadership Luncheon, I witnessed firsthand the genuine desire of our student-athletes to not only succeed in athletic competition but in their respective career choices. This program is without question a great opportunity for our student-athletes to reach their full potential."
-Scott Perrilloux, District Attorney, 21st Judicial District, State of Louisiana
 
"The Lion Leadership Institute is a game-changer for our athletic department. When we are in recruiting battles, you must have a separator – and this is definitely one for us. Andrew Gipson was instrumental in helping us prepare our men for life after sports. Now, he will be able to do that for the entire department. It will give our student-athletes an invaluable skillset to make them successful in life."
-Matt Riser, Southeastern Head Baseball Coach
 
 
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