Academic Program

The Process

The athletics department at Cape Fear Community College is fully committed to emphasizing the importance of academics.  All student-athletes must participate in the following requirements designed specifically to encourage academic excellence.  As an educational institution, the athletics department requires the student-athlete to be a student first and athlete second.  Each student-athlete should value the high-quality education provided from Cape Fear Community College.

Student-Athletes of the Cape Fear Community College athletic program will be required to follow a structured and disciplined academic plan in order to promote success in the classroom and graduate/transfer.  Academics are a priority and must be reinforced throughout the relationship with Cape Fear Community College. 

Academic Program Goals

  • NJCAA All-Academic Team (Team GPA of 3.0 or higher)
  • NJCAA Award for Academic Achievement (Individual)
  • Student-Athlete Graduate/Transfer Rate 100%

Team Synced

 CFCC is partnering with Team Synced to provide the student-athletes with cutting edge technology to thrive in the classroom. Team Synced offers up to the minute class reminders and check-in services to ensure accountability and offer each student athlete their own personal assistant. This technology streamlines communication and houses the student-athletes daily responsibilities.
   
Progress Reports

Progress reports are administered twice during the Fall and Spring Semesters.  Progress reports provide coaches with valuable information such as a student's current course grade, class attendance and allow instructors to communicate directly with the student-athletes and coaching staff.  Progress reports also allow the coaching staff to exercise early intervention and develop academic strategies that promote student success.  

Study Hall

Study hall offers student-athletes an environment that promotes and encourages learning. Individual sports are assigned days, times and locations set forth by the coach.  Study hall is an effective way to teach student-athletes how to manage time for the purpose of focusing on academic work.  Every semester, the Athletics Department will evaluate the prior academic semester and current progress reports in order to monitor and track student-athletes academic progress.

  • Team study sessions will be held throughout the semester.  This will be a time for the entire team to help each other in related classes, go to the library, computer lab or the learning center.  All activities must be related to academics.
  • Players will be instructed to bring study materials to away games.  In the case of overnight trips, study sessions at the hotel will be placed on the itinerary.

Advising

Academic advising and counseling is critical for student-athletes to transfer and/or graduate within the time spent here at CFCC. Appropriate classes and curriculum is vital to their ability to transfer to another institution and more importantly their academic success.  The NCAA has strict rules and regulations concerning transfer students and with careful planning, issues concerning transferable credits can be avoided.  Thus, open communication must exist between the student-athlete, coaching staff and the Student-Athlete Academic Advisor.

At the beginning of each year, each student-athlete will be required to attend a seminar that will explain proper class etiquette as well as assist them in the integration of the community college culture.  This orientation also opens the door to any questions that may be raised during the first week of classes.

Monitoring

This is the checks and balances of the academic program.  In order to identify the student-athletes who need to increase their focus on schoolwork, we must collect fair and honest evaluations from the faculty.  The process is as follows:

  • Send, via campus mail, a letter explaining the academic mission of the athletic program and athletic department.  This letter will also include what we expect out of each student-athlete and the staff's expectations of the faculty.  In addition, a sample of the grade check will be enclosed.
  • Monitor student-athletes class attendance through Team Sync's check-in feature.
  • Explain to the student-athletes the expectations of the faculty and coaching staff in relation to the academic mission, academic eligibility & academic progress. 
  • Two times per semester grade checks will be sent out to instructors and will be returned to the Athletic Department including attendance, current grades, and instructor comments.
  • End of the year Academic Reports will be compiled that reflect departmental academic progress.

"This institution embraces a “balanced college experience”, while consistently conveying a shared vision of academic excellence complemented by athletic achievement"