It's all about communication. The ability to communicate, both orally and in writing, is vital. The sooner an individual masters those skills, the sooner they are on the right road. You just don't see people without communication skills achieving much success in anything. We read and hear a lot about graduation rates, but you have spoken before about something more than a diploma itself.
Graduation is just one step in a long journey.
I am concerned not only with the four or five years a student-athlete is on campus, but with establishing a partnership for life. There is an often-used line that athletics doesn't necessarily build character, it reveals it. Shoot, I thought that was my original line. Yes, I agree. So much of athletics is learning how you respond to adverse situations and the stress of competition.