Student Athlete Academic Support Services (SAASS) at Northern Illinois University is here to provide programs and resources to help student athletes excel in the classroom, in the community, and after graduation.
The SAASS team collaborates with campus advisors and support staff, coaches, and tutors to help foster personal development and lifelong learning.
The SAASS program has a long-standing tradition of academic excellence. Some of the highlights from the 2025-26 academic year include:
- 14 of NIU's 16 programs maintained or improved upon their APR score from a year ago and nine of NIU's 16 teams recorded scores better than the national average within their sport, including the NIU football and men's basketball programs
- NIU Student Athletes have a graduation success rate of 87%
- 117 Student Athletes graduated across 6 academic colleges
- NIU Student Athletes posted a spring term GPA of 3.334 and a cumulative GPA of a 3.365
- NIU Student Athletes were named a top 3 finalist for the NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl
SAASS Staff Directory
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| Dr. Randi Napientek |
Ryan McGinn  |
Christopher Ilsley |
Kelly Loughman |
| Senior Associate Athletic Director |
Associate AD
Associate Director of SAASS |
Assistant Director |
Assistant Director |
| randi@niu.edu |
rmcginn@niu.edu |
cilsley1@niu.edu |
kloughman@niu.edu |
| (815) 753-9182 |
(815) 753-6375 |
(815) 753-1654 |
(815) 753-2706 |
Academic Support for
Men's Basketball |
Academic Support forÂ
Football (Primary)
 Cross Country |
Academic Support forÂ
Wrestling, Gymnastics, Football |
Academic Support for Volleyball, Softball, Football |
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| Dr. Monique Bernoudy |
Eric Erato |
Juan Navarro |
Leonard LeGrand |
TBA |
| Assistant Vice President |
Athletic Academic Coordinator |
Athletic Academic Coordinator |
Office Administrator |
Graduate Assistant |
| mbernoudy@niu.edu |
eerato1@niu.edu |
jnavarro4@niu.edu |
llegrand@niu.edu |
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| 815-753-1554 |
(815) 753-1105 |
(815) 753-0170 |
(815) 753-1342 |
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Academic Support forÂ
Track and Field |
Academic Support for Women's Basketball, Women's/Men's Tennis, Baseball
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Academic Support forÂ
Women's/Men's Golf, Women's/Men's Soccer |
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Faculty Athletic RepresentativeÂ
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Dr. Brian McCormick, Associate Professor of Management in Northern Illinois University’s College of Business was name NIU’s NCAA Faulty Athletics Representative during the summer of 2025.
The Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) serves as a vital connection between the university and the athletic department, ensuring academic integrity and student success. This involves monitoring academic performance, admission credentials, tracking academic progress, and analyzing graduation rates to provide insights into academic challenges and successes and to help foster a supportive learning environment.
Beyond academics, the FAR is crucial in facilitating open communication and collaboration between the athletics and the university, bridging any gaps between athletic and academic demands to ensure policies are managed appropriately. The FAR is invested in advocating for student-athlete well-being, striving for a balanced experience across academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities.
In addition, the FAR plays a critical role in upholding NCAA compliance and institutional control, maintaining the university's commitment to academic standards. The FAR provides valuable insights and reporting to administration, helping the entire campus understand the challenges and successes of student-athletes and keeping faculty informed about evolving NCAA regulations.
