Excitement filled the month of January as over 400 student-athletes and administrators gathered to share in the APPLE Training Institutes in Orlando and Charlottesville.  Representing 72 schools from across all NCAA divisions, participants found great value in the specialized training. The weekend provided time to collaborate and discuss mutually shared campus issues related to student-athlete health and wellness and learn the basics of the APPLE Model.  Participants were inspired by presentations from Colby College, Grinnell College and the University of Texas at Arlington who shared their successes and challenges in implementing their action plans.  One participant noted, “This was exceptional and very timely for my institution. We are so very grateful to have been given the opportunity to attend!”

The collaborative team meetings and action plan process left student-athletes and administrators feeling invested and empowered to taking APPLE back home to their campuses. Fifty-six percent of schools decided to focus their action plan on the Education slice of the APPLE model.  Many of these schools plan to implement student-athlete mentor programs, while others are focused on developing social norms campaigns or revamping freshman orientation.   In reflecting on the value of attending APPLE, one administrator commented, “I particularly enjoyed getting to watch my students get to know each other better, interact with student-athletes from other schools, and share a commitment to improving not only their own lives but those of their peers back home as well (and ultimately the institution).”