Faces – Mark Verburg
Student-athletes excel on the fields and courts, and intercollegiate athletics plays a major role at colleges and universities. For Mark Verburg, the men and women who comprise Charlotte 49ers teams are students first.
“And our goal is to help them succeed academically,” said Verburg, associate director and tutor coordinator for the Athletics Academic Center. “We’re considered student-athletes’ secondary advisors, but often, we see them more regularly. We see all first-time transfers and freshmen at least once a week, and we get to know them on a personal level from the recruiting phase all the way through graduation. We help to keep them on track toward degree completion and work with the Compliance Office to meet all NCAA requirements.”
Organizationally, Verburg and his colleagues report to Cindy Wolf Johnson in the Academic Services Department, but they work collaboratively with the entire Athletics Department.
“We are thankful to have great support from academic services and athletics. Without their buy-in to what we do, we would not be effective in supporting our student-athletes,” stated Verburg. “The coaches are vital. During my 14-plus years at UNC Charlotte, their support of our work has been invaluable. The people are what makes this campus such a great place to work and one of the main reasons why I’m committed to UNC Charlotte.”
With staff in the Miltimore-Wallis and Rose Football Centers, Verburg said it can be “bit of a puzzle” to schedule tutors and interns to work with individual student-athletes. “We have to schedule around their commitments for class and practice, travel during the sports season and even their meal times, so there is a small window for each athlete to meet. Then, factor in all the various teams, and you get an idea of the challenges.”
While student-athletes must adhere to various NCAA regulations that mandate minimum GPAs and track their progress to graduate, they mirror the rest of the campus undergraduate population, Verburg stated. “Some are highly competitive, some are strong academically, some are working part-time jobs, some are supporting family at home and some are commuting long distances to be here. Our job is to help them become members of the campus and greater communities, and we are committed to helping them succeed on and off the courts and fields.”
The addition of Charlotte 49ers football has been a game-changer for the Athletics Academic Center; it added 120 student-athletes, which brings the total number to around 400. The increase led to more staff and new facilities, too.
“I attended colleges with the traditional football experience, so it’s been exciting and fantastic to see how adding football has benefited UNC Charlotte,” Verburg explained. “I hope it will help to build stronger ties with our young alums and strengthen their commitment to the University.”
A native of Kansas City, Mo., Verburg earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Missouri and a master’s degree in sport management from University of Georgia. Since joining the University in 2002, he completed a Master of Liberal Studies, and he is working toward a Doctor of Education.
He and his wife Mel have two daughters, and they are active with Connect Christian Church in Concord. While doctoral studies consume much of his time, Verburg said he likes to watch sports and read, too.