Student-Athlete Mentor Program (SAM)

The Student-Athlete Mentor Program is comprised of volunteer representatives from many UWM intercollegiate sports.

The purpose of this program is:

  1. To design and implement programs that will encourage academic achievement, health promotion, social responsibility and general life skills awareness among student-athletes.
  2. To actively encourage the involvement of student-athletes in campus and community outreach projects and activities.
  3. To promote an awareness of UW-Milwaukee Athletics throughout the campus and the Greater Milwaukee area.
  4. To serve as mentors to incoming and returning UWM student-athletes through deed and action.

The UWM SAM has supported such community outreach programs and organizations as:

  • The City of Milwaukee East Side Neighborhood Clean-Up
  • National Give Us 4 Day
  • The USMC Toys for Tots Program
  • St. Ben's Community Meal Program
  • The Special Olympics
  • The Milwaukee Hunger Clean-Up Initiative
  • The Fitzsimmons Boys and Girls Club of Milwaukee
  • The Milwaukee Public Schools' After-School Tutoring and Mentoring Program
  • The Badger Association for the Blind

The UWM SAM has also organized two campus and community-wide service events; the UWM Panther Pride Food Drive -- which benefits the Hunger Task Force of Greater Milwaukee and the UWM Panther Spring Cleaning Clothing Drive -- which benefits Goodwill Industries of Wisconsin.

During the Fall and Spring semesters the UWM SAM helps to sponsor, via the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program, professional speakers who discuss aspects of healthy living and responsible choice making. In the past, speakers have included Dr. Joel Fish and Mr. Hank Pietraczek.