Johns Hopkins Academic All-America WallThe Johns Hopkins University recently debuted a recognition wall in the Newton White Athletic Center on the Homewood Campus for its 70 all-time CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. Working in consultation with a design firm from York, Pennsylvania (Marketechs), the Academic All-America Wall is the first phase in a plan to enhance the look and feel of the athletic center.
"We began meeting with representatives of Marketechs and they presented several sets of designs for various locations in our athletic center," Johns Hopkins Associate AD/SID Ernie Larossa noted. "While it was clear from the outset that this would be a plan that would be put in place over several years, I made a strong argument that recognizing our Academic All-Americans was something that should be done sooner rather than later. We've been fortunate to win numerous conference, regional and national championships, but the success of the student-athletes at Johns Hopkins in the classroom is amazing and recognizing their accomplishments this way is long overdue."
The next phase of Marketechs' plans at Johns Hopkins include redesigning the existing trophy cases and adding recognition pieces in the lobby area. Enhancing the team meeting rooms and common areas of the athletic center is also part of the plan.
Johns Hopkins ranks among the all-time leaders with its 70 all-time Academic All-Americans. From its first selection in 1976 through its five selections during the 2008-09 academic year, Hopkins has been at the forefront of the Academic All-America program. Consider:
* 17 of JHU's 26 teams have produced at least one Academic All-American.
* A program-high eight student-athletes earned Academic All-America honors during the 2006-07 school year.
* 21 JHU baseball players are among the 70 all-time Academic All-Americans the school has produced, including three on its 2008 national runner-up team. The 21 selections are among the top 10 all-time (all divisions) among baseball programs.
* JHU's seven men's lacrosse Academic All-Americans are the most of any Division I school in that sport in the nation.
* The 70 selections are almost evenly split between first (24), second (25) and third team (21).
"Every part of the plan that Marketechs has submitted will enhance the experience of our current student-athletes and assist in the recruiting process as we move forward," Larossa added. "The Academic All-America program is one that I have a very strong affinity for and I'm glad that we were able to get this portion of the process completed first. It is a very powerful statement when one of our coaches is with a family and they are discussing the academic success of our athletes. To see all 70 of those plaques displayed is amazing."
