The leaders of Texas A&M University describe their mission in one simple statement:
To develop leaders of character dedicated to serving the greater good.
It's no different inside the Athletics Department, which looks to build champions not only on the fields and in the arenas of competition, but in the classroom and in life.
One of the ways Aggie student-athletes can grow leadership skills and participate in valuable and rewarding community service activities is through the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Formed by Dr. John Thornton in the late 1990s, in the simplest of terms SAAC serves as the “student government” body of the student-athletes.
It is, however, much more than that.
Members work through the athletic department management to advocate for the welfare of student-athletes not only on campus—perhaps things such as bike racks near the Nye Academic Center, hours of operation in venues and more—but also for student-athlete welfare all the way up to the national level at the NCAA.
And if you ask the SAAC leadership, they will explain to you the organization's most important and most impactful mission—to nurture and to grow the great relationship between the student-athlete and fellow students, faculty, staff, and the Bryan-College Station community through service.
“What I truly enjoy is spreading (the mission of) selfless service to the 12th Man,” said SAAC President and senior All-American swimmer Kelli Benjamin. “Community Service has always been a huge aspect of my life, and influencing other athletes to join in it has truly been rewarding to see.”
SAAC is most visible through its two bookend community service events. First is the wildly successful Aggies CAN annual food drive, which takes place around a football game each fall.
Each year, the event seems to grow in scope and success, innovating new ways to top the previous season's accolades. In 2013, the organization collected over $32,000 and over 12,000 pounds of cans for the Brazos Valley Food Bank. Numbers are not yet in from the 2014 event but by all accounts it was yet again a rousing success.
In the spring, SAAC hosts 'Film on the Field' – a “thank you” event for the entire community which allows free admission to a movie played on the big screen at Kyle Field and fans to sit on the grass to take it in. During renovations the event has been tabbed 'Movie at the Mound' and has/will air inside Blue Bell Park.
Along with these, SAAC helps organize and promote other events to help give back to and engage the Bryan/College Station community.
Each varsity program at Texas A&M has two SAAC representatives, although any and all student-athletes are welcome and encouraged to attend and participate in the bi-monthly meetings. Members form committees to zero in more specifically on issues or events that can impact their fellow student-athletes or fellow Aggies in general.
The organization has also brought an already close-knit student-athlete body even closer.
“It means the world (to have an impact on fellow student-athletes),” Benjamin said. Being a part of the swim team, I already have 30 best friends that I get to see and train with every day. By being SAAC President, I have had the chance to meet new student-athletes and become close with so many new people. (They) have heavily impacted me and have made me the person I am today.”
Ask any Aggie, and many will point at leadership as one of the most treasured of the University's core values. SAAC provides that off-the-field leadership opportunity to its members, one which will further enhance the success of young men and women once they enter the business world.
Already an All-American in one of the country's best swim programs, Benjamin points out that getting involved in SAAC has taught her valuable leadership skills that she can take with her into the competition pool.
“(SAAC) has 100 percent translated into my work ethic not only in the pool but in the classroom,” Benjamin said. “While planning Aggies CAN you learn to juggle all three at once. Through my four years at Texas A&M I feel my leadership role has not only grown on the swim team but in the athletic department as well. I've been a part of on-campus leadership gatherings where student leaders get together and discuss issues currently facing students.
And even with all that, Benjamin still points to one mission of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee that she holds closest to her heart.
“I hope that once I leave Texas A&M, (I can say) I made a difference in the community.”