By Erika Neldner
Reinhardt University and Athletes of Valor have partnered to give military athletes the opportunity to play at the collegiate level and earn their college degrees after enlistment.
“We are so excited to begin this partnership with Athletes of Valor,” said Bill Popp, vice president for athletics and athletic director. “We have seen Athletes of Valor’s success with other schools similar to Reinhardt, and we want to be a part of the future of these veterans that want to return to college and possibly play sports again.”
According to Athletes of Valor, when veterans transition back into civilian life, the comraderies and tight-knit relationships found in service are hard to replicate. By providing services to veterans through partnerships with select colleges and universities, like Reinhardt, service members will have a higher chance of earning and completing their degree by participating in a sport while attending school. These partnerships will help enable and empower more veterans to earn a degree where they might also find the structure of college sports a familiar environment in which to succeed.
This partnership will encourage military athletes interested in playing at the collegiate level to consider Reinhardt University after their enlistment. Per Athletes of Valor, when veterans transition back into civilian life, the comraderies and tight-knit relationships found in service are hard to replicate. By providing services to veterans through partnerships with select colleges and universities, like Reinhardt, service members will have a higher chance of earning and completing their degree by participating in a sport while attending school. These partnerships will help enable and empower more veterans to earn a degree where they might also find the structure of college sports a familiar environment in which to succeed.
Over half of service members attend school after their enlistment but a significant amount of veterans do not complete their degree program. With nearly 85 percent of athletic students graduating, Athletes of Valor and Reinhardt seek to engage veterans in college sports to further support and retain through graduation.
“We can fundamentally change the way military members transition out of service,” said Alex Stone, former Marine and founder and chief executive officer of Athletes of Valor. “Reinhardt offers veterans a string combination of academics, athletics and culture during their transition. Those three things create an environment where veterans can be successful.”
Athletes of Valor will work with Reinhardt University in enrolling active duty personnel capable of participating in collegiate level sports.
“Our company creates an efficient process from marketing to enrollment for our athletic service men and women,” said Lisa Smith, director of university partnerships. “We are building an efficient process that is both empowering veterans in their goals of playing college sports and getting their degree while bringing high caliber students to Reinhardt University.”
Reinhardt University offers over 40 programs of study led by dedicated professors who provide the individual attention students through their intimate classroom size and settings. Reinhardt understands the values service members bring to the campus, both in the classroom and on the field which is why they place significant emphasis on understanding military culture, financial aid, flexibility and on-campus support.
As part of its athletics program, Reinhardt offers intercollegiate sports teams for men and women including: basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis and volleyball. Male specific sports at Reinhardt include football, golf, baseball and wrestling. Female specifics offered are softball and cheerleading.
For more information about the Athletes of Valor and Reinhardt University partnership, please visit the Athletes of Valor website.
