EKU selected to receive $100,000 NCAA Grant

STAFF REPORT

BSN

RICHMOND – Eastern Kentucky University has been selected to receive an NCAA Accelerating Academic Success Program (AASP) single-year grant for the 2021-22 academic year.

The EKU athletics department will use the NCAA grant to purchase lap top computers and mobile Wi-Fi hot spots for student-athletes to use while traveling with their teams for competition.

"This grant will provide valuable resources to aid our student-athletes' academic success," Vice President and Director of Athletics Matt Roan said. "Accessing reliable technology can sometimes be a challenge when our student-athletes go on the road to represent our university. These tools will allow our outstanding young women and men to continue prioritizing academic excellence, even when away from campus."

As part of the AASP, the NCAA offers grants to eligible schools to assist in creating programming and systems that will further academic success. There are two tiers of grant funding for eligible schools — comprehensive grants (multiyear) and initiatives grants (single year). As of August 2020, the program has funded 64 grants.

When choosing grant winners, the AASP selection committee considers various criteria, including presidential oversight, involvement of key staff, goals identified by the school, demonstrated sustainability of the initiative, the school's history in the NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program and the school's infractions history.