Badgers' Fulton takes on variety of leadership roles
December 10, 2008 | Men's Swimming & Diving
"The mission of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete welfare and fostering a positive student-athlete image. '
That is the official mission statement of the NCAA's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Sounds like a pretty important program doesn't it' Well, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is one of the most important promoters and enhancers of the overall well-being of the collegiate student-athlete.
Thanks to the work of one of those student-athletes, the University of Wisconsin enjoys a prominent position within the workings of the SAAC at the campus, conference and national levels.
Senior athid=5585&deptid=132"> --> Nick Fulton , a member of the Badger men's swimming and diving team, is president of the University of Wisconsin SAAC for the 2008-09 academic year. He also serves the UW as a representative on both the Big Ten Conference SAAC and the national SAAC for the NCAA.
'The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is the mouthpiece of the student-athletes to convey their opinions to the NCAA,' said Fulton. 'There is an SAAC for each conference, and I serve as the representative for the Big Ten Conference.
'That means I serve as the voice for the student-athletes of the Big Ten and I make sure our voices are heard by the NCAA legislation who establishes the rules that we, the student-athletes, abide by.'
The SAAC is broken down into three different groups within each NCAA division (Division I, Division II and Division III) and there is also a separate committee for each conference.
Aside from administrative duties, each school's SAAC has three committees. There is a representative for each committee who is a member of the Speaker's Bureau. The Speaker's Bureau is a pool of SAAC representatives that are called upon to speak at local schools and local charity events.
Social events are planned each semester for student-athletes by the Social Committee. The Community Service Committee finds different volunteer opportunities for student-athletes to help enrich their civic lives.
Lastly, the SAAC Awareness Committee involves a combination of public relations and secretarial tasks. Along with being the SAAC webmasters, they are responsible for making sure that all student-athletes are up to date on any administrative tasks and upcoming meetings.
Fulton has a true passion for student-athlete outreach and a leadership position on the SAAC is something that he has built up to his entire life.
'I've been involved in leadership roles throughout high school, ' Fulton said. 'So when I came to Wisconsin, Coach (Eric) Hansen pointed me in the SAAC direction. He thought it was a good tool and something that was necessary and a way for student athletes to convey their opinions.
'After finding out more about it, my interest grew.'
For his service, as well as excellence in the classroom, Fulton was named a Student of the Month by the UW's SAAC for the month of October.
Fulton also is accomplished in the pool, however. He finished eighth in the 400-yard medley relay at the 2007 Big Ten Championships and also qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100-meter backstroke.
After success in the pool and within the SAAC, Fulton was asked to be the 'Student-Athlete Reflection' speaker at the ninth-annual Endowed Scholarship Donor Appreciation Luncheon in September, when the UW Athletic Department and its student-athletes thank the donors that make its annual athletic scholarships possible.
Nate Pokrass, director of the Badger Fund, was impressed with Fulton's speech.
'As the representative of all UW student-athletes, Nick truly gave a heartfelt speech in appreciation of all of the generous support from donors who have endowed an athletic scholarship,' Pokrass said
With opportunities to be an official representative of Wisconsin athletes, Fulton has not taken his time with the SAAC for granted. He hopes that the skills and knowledge that he has obtained through the national committee will prove to be beneficial come May 2009, when Fulton will become a UW alumnus with degrees in political science and economics.
'I hope to go into athletic administration,' Fulton said. 'Hopefully the people that I have met through the SAAC and networking will help me with my goals for the future. I really want to do something with developing viewpoints and student-athlete interest.
'I want to be an athletic director because I am really interested in the well-being of the student-athlete.'
