Graduating Champions From Graduate School

Tuesday, Nov. 22 was one of the biggest days of Jalen Walker's life.

The redshirt senior wide receiver spent the morning defending his final research project…and spent the evening helping lift the Miami University football team to a dramatic come-from-behind 18-17 win.

The reward for the successful morning? A Master's degree.

The reward for the successful evening? A trip to Friday's HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl for the RedHawks.

"That was a good day," Walker smiled.

Talk about an understatement.

When Walker joined Miami Football in 2017, he arrived expecting to use his four or five years on campus to earn an undergraduate degree. However, the COVID pandemic changed that plan for not only Walker, but many other student-athletes. The Kinesiology and Health (KNH) major from Carmel, Ind. took advantage of an extra year of eligibility that the NCAA offered, choosing to stay in Oxford for a sixth year and compete on the gridiron for a fifth season. As a result, Walker will graduate with not one Miami University degree, but two.

"If you're a student-athlete and you have the opportunity to spend your five or six years and earn two degrees – get a Bachelor's and Master's – you are absolutely making the most of your experience from an athletic and academic side," said Lisa Miller, Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations. "At Miami University, that's our goal: To graduate champions."

The son of a coach, Walker knew before ever beginning college that he was interested in a coaching career when his playing days are done. "I enjoy the game enough to stay around it, but I like the relationship part of being able to watch a guy grow and develop and leave better than how he came. That always intrigued me," Walker said.

"Coming to Miami, I knew about the Cradle of Coaches a little bit. So I wanted to go down the path of, 'What did the Sean McVays do when they were here?' With where [he's] at now, there's obviously a blueprint."

Walker ended up pursuing a Master's degree in Sports Leadership and Management (SLAM), which he finished this semester. Miami's Graduate School offers a variety of combined programs that allow students to make progress toward undergraduate and graduate degrees simultaneously, and the KNH/SLAM route Walker followed is a perfect example.

"I talked to my advisor, Dr. Chase, and she told me about the two-for-one and how I could essentially be working on both at the same time," said Walker. "That made sense for me, especially because we got the COVID year, so I could work toward finishing the Master's and not just starting it.

"That was a big factor for me in going after it: knowing I'd be able to finish by the time I'm done playing…I jumped all over that opportunity and stayed in the department, which I enjoy."

Dr. Amity Noltemeyer, Associate Dean of the Graduate School, said more than half of Miami's Master's programs have a combined option for students working on Bachelor's degrees. "And you can actually double-count nine of the hours if you're in a combined program, which is really nice," Noltemeyer explained. "It helps students get a head start…

"If you have the interest to pursue a graduate degree, to get more specialized knowledge in a field, and can start that while you're also completing your undergraduate requirements, it's a good opportunity."

Walker's capstone project for the Master's degree involved research on high school coaching styles and how that affects players' motivation. He submitted a paper to his faculty panel and then presented and defended his research the morning of his final regular-season football game. Walker found out before lunch that he had passed, and then shifted gears into pregame prep for catching passes against Ball State.

Later that night, Walker made key receptions on 4th-and-10 and 3rd-and-6 plays in the fourth quarter to keep Miami's postseason hopes alive. Both drives ultimately led to touchdowns as the RedHawks rallied for a thrilling 18-17 victory in the final minutes. "The roller coaster of emotion was crazy," Walker said later. The players celebrated on the field with the Bahamas flag and sunglasses after becoming bowl eligible for the sixth time in the past seven seasons.

Walker said that 24-hour span will go down as one of the most memorable from his half dozen years as a Miami student-athlete, along with moments like winning a MAC championship in 2019 and finding out the following year he'd been admitted to the Graduate School.

"It was probably one of the top days at Miami," Walker said. "You go into something that you've been working on all semester, present it, have good feedback from it, and then go play the game you love to play and get a win.

"It's almost like everything you want in a day of academic and athletic success, and then you get to do it with people you enjoy doing it with."

With more Miami student-athletes than ever currently pursuing graduate education (due in large part to the COVID year), Ryan Swallow, Director of Student-Athlete Academic Support Services, expects to see that trend continue in years to come, especially with examples like Walker's for other RedHawks to follow.

"The program is growing, obviously with more opportunities, but more awareness of it too," Swallow said after a spring 2022 semester that saw 17 RedHawks earn Master's degrees. "I have a feeling, especially with football, that some of those student-athletes (even without the extra year) would have entertained it just because now they've seen some of their teammates do it. Word of mouth breeds opportunities for students."

"I think it could just be an inspiration," said Noltemeyer. "Not everybody can see themselves achieving a Master's degree; they don't always see that on their radar…but it's an additional way to set themselves apart in terms of getting additional knowledge and an additional degree.

"Students who complete a graduate degree not only develop deeper expertise in a field they are passionate about and immersed in, but also translate that knowledge to applied research and practice. They are creative problem-solvers, interdisciplinary collaborators, and innovative thinkers who are meaningfully impacting their fields and communities."

Both Walker and Noltemeyer said the skills it takes to succeed as a student-athlete in general (time management, persistence and perseverance, just to name a few) are exactly what's needed to excel in graduate-level courses.

"When you're looking at it from the outside, it may look like it's a lot, but it's not as daunting as it may seem when you're in it," Walker said. "I would say, 'Go for it!' – you have an opportunity here and people that will help you…there's a system in place that's going to give you the best opportunity to have success with your Master's or whatever you're trying to pursue. Take advantage of every opportunity you can...because in the long run, it's going to be so beneficial for you.

"I feel like I gave myself the best opportunity that when I was ready to leave this place, I would be able to stand on my own two feet. That's something I can be proud of and hang my hat on: When I was here, I accomplished what I set out to accomplish.

"I was able to pursue as much as I could, had fun doing it, and got to play football at the same time!"

Walker and the RedHawks take on UAB Friday at 11:30 a.m. in the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl. Watch the game live on ESPN and check out the Bowl Central page for more information about how you can support the RedHawks.

Find more Front Row Features at MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures.

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