DeKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois University Athletics is proud to announce that it will become the second University in Division I intercollegiate athletics to launch a Beyond the Game (BTG) initiative aimed towards helping student-athletes confront the challenges they face at the end of their athletic eligibility.

Started by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the goal of BTG is to strengthen the post-graduation trajectories for student-athletes. The program is open to all student-athletes.

All NIU student-athletes are required to attend an information session for BTG this Wednesday, December 3 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Carl Sandburg Auditorium. There will be a reception with free food and beverages followed by a fireside chat with a guest speaker.

Below is further information about the Beyond the Game program and its goals and means of achieving these goals:

Goals The objectives of the Beyond the Game program are to increase African American graduation rates and postgraduate outcomes, while increasing retention rates and assisting with student-athlete development. As such, the goals of the BTG are:

Graduate Student-Athletes: Maintain a BTG student-athlete graduation rate that is greater than the rate for all NIU African American students.

Retain Student-Athletes: Maintain a BTG student-athlete retention rate that is greater than the rate for all NIU African American students.

Assist in Student-Athlete Development: Engage BTG student-athletes in the current life skills and diversity and inclusion programing and enhance their experience through BTG programming.

Components The Beyond the Game program is designed to foster student-athlete development, but includes additional components aimed at increasing student-athlete engagement on campus. These intentional components include a Passport to Success, a career role model, and the opportunity to simultaneously fulfill a leadership certificate upon completion of the BTG program. With the increased connection and engagement on campus, the idea is for students to have an improved holistic experience. Ultimately, the hope is that with increased campus engagement and student identity development, the program will achieve its goals.

Student-athletes who participate in the BTG program will complete the student-athlete development curriculum, as all student-athletes do, including various personal development and career development programming with one mandatory component per year. Beyond the Game students will also complete three one-credit courses throughout their collegiate career in addition to the student-athlete development curriculum requirements. See the specific BTG components in the chart below.