Total Person Program

Through this multifaceted program, the brainchild of retired Director of Athletics Dr. Homer Rice, Rambling Wreck student-athletes have the opportunity to learn the elements of success beyond the classroom or playing field. They gain skills that remain with them for a lifetime, preparing for the career and personal challenges ahead.

During his 17-year tenure from 1980-1997, Rice rebuilt Georgia Tech’s athletic fortunes with an emphasis not just in fund-raising and facilities, but in equally important areas such as academic support and life skills.

Since Rice started the Total Person Program in 1980, it has developed into the most comprehensive student-athlete support system in the country. Rice’s model has been adopted nationwide as the foundation for NCAA’s Life Skills Program. Because of the success of the Total Person Program, Georgia Tech was one of the three schools chosen to consult with the NCAA on this project.

Addressing virtually every area of a well-rounded educational experience, the Total Person Program, under the direction of Leah Thomas, focuses on the following components:

• Academic Support and Degree Completion


• Personal Growth & Development


• Career Planning and Placement


• Counseling and Wellness


• Leadership


• Honors


• Community Outreach

Student-Athlete Advisory Board and Community Outreach
The Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) is a committee of student-athletes representing each sports team within the Georgia Tech Athletic Association. The SAAB is a bridge linking student-athlete concerns with the GTAA administration. Along with major community service projects involving multiple teams, the board is called upon to give input on improving student-athlete welfare at Georgia Tech.

After a year-long “pilot program” that the Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) underwent during the 2010-2011 school year, under the direction and guidance of Dr. Wes Wynens, Director of the Leadership Development and Education Program here at Georgia Tech, the Total Person Program launched its inaugural “GTAA Leadership Academy”.  In developing the Leadership Academy, the goal was to not only tap into our resources and further develop our own understanding of leadership, but to ultimately develop a curriculum that became a major part of the Total Person Program for all student-athletes, and re-emphasized Leadership Development as an important piece of student-athlete training, as Dr. Rice saw it.

The SAAB provides vital input on student-athlete support services to all Georgia Tech student-athletes.  Under the direction of the SAAB the Tech student-athletes participated in an array of community outreach projects this last year which included:

Boy Scouts of America, Twilight Cub Scout Camp – Members of the football team traveled to Canton, GA to visit the Twilight Cub Scout Camp to conduct some football drills.  The theme of the camp was “Weird Science” so the players came up with lessons that related to football to science.

Toy Drive – The 11th Annual Michael Isenhour toy drive was conducted at football, men’s and women’s basketball games.  The toys and money collected were donated to Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Atlanta, The Ronald McDonald House, and the Atlanta Children’s Shelter.

Special Olympics – For the fifth year in a row, members of women’s basketball acted as Grand Marshalls for the opening ceremonies of the Georgia Indoor Winter Games held at the Cobb County Civic Center.  They escorted Special Olympic Athletes into the arena to be recognized, from across the whole state of Georgia.  The following day, softball, baseball, football, volleyball, golf, track and cheerleading supplied volunteers for the roller skating competition.

Girls on the Run – All female student-athletes supported the Atlanta area Girls on the Run program throughout the fall and spring semester.  They visited various sites to help the girls train and learn the life skills lesson for the day, and then helped work the end-of-the-season 5K.

Bright Futures Academy- Women’s tennis made several visits to the Bright Futures Academy in West Atlanta to serve as mentors for the girls there. Men’s basketball players also visited the Bright Futures Academy on 2 different occasions, just to spend the afternoon with the students there – playing games and talking.

Habitat for Humanity- GTAA, with the help of student-athletes, made a donation to the Habitat for Humanity.  All of the TVs in the stadium suites that were being replaced were collected and loaded up on a truck to be donated.

Project Open Hand – Men’s swimming & diving teams sorted and served food over the Holiday break while they were on campus training.