McGraw Hill Teams Up with Alabama State University to Coach Student-Athletes on Career Readiness

January 13, 2025

McGraw Hill, a leading global education company, and Alabama State University are teaming up to launch a personalized career coaching and leadership development
program to empower the University’s student-athletes with the skills, knowledge and
tools needed to succeed in today’s competitive job market.

Launching on January 14, the Collegiate Athletic Leadership Program will offer tailored
mentorship, career readiness training and networking opportunities to help ASU student-athletes
make progress towards their career goals after college.

The partnership with ASU, one of the nation’s oldest institutions of higher education
founded for Black Americans, reflects McGraw Hill’s commitment to providing access to meaningful learning experiences that improve outcomes and
opportunity for all learners.

“At McGraw Hill, we work with educators to help all students, regardless of background,
unlock their full potential,” said Sean Ryan, president of McGraw Hill’s School group.
“Given we operate within a larger social context, partnerships with well-established
and respected institutions can accelerate this important work. Thus, we’re especially
proud to partner with Alabama State University to help student-athletes at this world-class
institution get ahead of the game toward their future career paths. At the same time,
we expect that this will help us also build a stronger, more diverse pipeline of professional
talent for not only our company, but also the broader education industry. Our joint
future depends on it.”

The Collegiate Athletic Leadership Program will include monthly workshops led by McGraw
Hill team members that will cover:

Career readiness: Soft skills training and professional etiquette, with an emphasis
on effective business communication, public speaking and corporate presentation.

Leadership skills: Moving from college to the corporate world by discussing a business
growth mindset, critical thinking, financial literacy, problem solving and avoiding
pitfalls.

Succeeding professionally: Helping students on their path to success by conducting
mock interviews, setting up job shadowing for a day, offering one-on-one coaching
and identifying strengths and transferable skills that will ensure success, no matter
the industry.

To drive a deeper connection, workshops will feature guest speakers who come from
historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) or who have former athletic experience.
Also, participants will be introduced to internships and other opportunities at McGraw
Hill.
 
The Collegiate Athletic Leadership Program is provided to ASU at no cost, made possible
through a volunteer initiative from McGraw Hill employees being spearheaded by an
employee-led group called the I.D.E.A. Council which promotes understanding, respect,
equity, and access for others.

“At Alabama State University, we seek to fulfill our mission of providing a holistic
learning environment that prepares our student-athletes within their four years on
campus for the next forty years of their lives,” said Dr. Jason Cable, vice president and director of Athletics at Alabama State University. “Our collaborative
partnership with a global brand like McGraw Hill serves as a blueprint for student-athletes’
development as they prepare to depart the hallowed grounds of ASU. It reflects our
commitment to CommUniversity and fostering dynamic relationships that prepare our
student-athletes for positive community impact.”

ASU student-athletes have a proud tradition of excelling both on and off the field,
paving the way for success after graduation. The ASU Athletic Department has been
recognized with the James Frank Commissioner’s Cup eight times in the past decade for
achieving the highest combined total of men’s and women’s all-sport points in the
Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
 
Additionally, ASU has achieved remarkable success by claiming its fifth consecutive
SWAC Academic Achievement Award, along with its third straight win under the leadership
of Dr. Cable.

The Academic Achievement Award is presented annually to the athletic program with
the highest percentage of student-athletes who earned a grade point average (GPA)
of 3.0 or better during the academic year. With 69 percent of its student-athletes
earning a GPA of 3.0 or better during the academic year, Alabama State exemplifies
a powerful commitment to educational excellence, proudly standing as a beacon of achievement
in intercollegiate athletics.
 

McGraw Hill

McGraw Hill is a leading global education company that partners with millions of educators,
learners, and professionals around the world. Recognizing their diverse needs, it
builds trusted content, flexible tools, and powerful digital platforms to help them
achieve success on their own terms. Through its commitment to equity, and inclusion,
it fosters a culture of belonging that respects and reflects the diversity of the
communities and educators it serves. McGraw Hill has over 30 offices across North
America, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. Its learning
solutions for PreK-12, higher education, and others are available in more than 80
languages. Visit it at mheducation.com or find it on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.