Tara Evans Named Director of the Nancy and Donald Resnick Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes

PHILADELPHIA - Tara Evans, who has nearly 20 years' experience in the academic support field, has been named the Director of the Nancy and Donald Resnick Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes at Temple University. Evans replaces Justin Miller, who was elevated to Executive Associate Athletics Director/Chief of Staff in August. She previously had served as the Associate Director of the Resnick Center since 2015.

"Tara is the perfect person to fill this very critical leadership position in supporting the academic needs of our student-athletes," said Temple University Vice Provost Jodi Levine Laufgraben. "She has worked as Justin Miller's right hand for the last seven years and understands the needs of our student-athletes. The Nancy and Donald Resnick Academic Support Center has been a source of pride for athletics, as well as the University as a whole, and with Tara's leadership we believe it will continue to raise the bar for academic success for our student-athletes."

"I want to thank Vice Provost Jodi Levine Laufgraben, Vice President and Director of Athletics Arthur Johnson and, of course, Justin Miller, for this amazing opportunity," said Evans. "Working with our student-athletes and helping them succeed in the classroom as well as in life has not been a job, but rather a passion since I came to Temple in 2014. I am excited to take over the reins from Justin and look to continue what he has put in place and push the bar for success even higher."

Since beginning her tenure with the Resnick Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes in 2014, Evans' teams experienced record-high academic performances. Heavily involved with the men's basketball team, under her guidance the team earned two American Athletic Conference Team Excellence Award and been honored with the NABC Team Recognition twice.

Evans has provided leadership for the Resnick Center's Academic Mentoring program that had a direct impact on student-athletes setting record cumulative grade point averages during her eight years, including four of the last five semesters above a 3.30 semester GPA.

"Tara has played an instrumental role in the success of our student-athletes during her time at Temple," said Vice President and Director of Athletics Arthur Johnson. "I am confident she is the right person to lead the Nancy and Donald Resnick Center and continue the outstanding success our student-athletes have achieved in the classroom."

Prior to August of 2014, Evans served as the Counselor Coordinator at Temple's Russell Conwell Learning Center working with first generation students while also facilitating a summer bridge program centered around math/English support.

She also worked four years as an associate director at Florida Atlantic University's Student-Athlete Center for Academic Excellence (2008-12). There she worked directly with the football program, which had experienced scholarship reductions due to its APR. Along with the administration and the football staff, she helped create an NCAA improvement plan, increasing the program's APR from 919 to 932, above the NCAA minimum standard (930) in 2012.

Evans, who started her career in academic support with the Play it Smart program (2004-05) where she worked with high school football players at Ben Franklin and George Washington High Schools in Philadelphia, also worked three years as an assistant director in the Office for Academic Support at Villanova University (2005-08).

A former student-athlete, Evans was a member of the swimming and diving team at Syracuse University where she earned her bachelor's degree in sociology. She later earned her master's from Springfield College in counseling and psychological services, with a specialization in athletic counseling.

Temple University Athletics

Tara Evans Named Director of the Nancy and Donald Resnick Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes

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