The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Mackey Wins Outstanding Academic Advisor Award
4/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – UAB Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development Justin Mackey was one of three individuals honored with the Outstanding Academic Advisor Award Wednesday morning in a ceremony from the UAB National Alumni Society House.
Mackey works directly with the UAB men’s basketball and women’s tennis teams and recently completed his fourth season with the Blazers. Additionally, Mackey directs the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and student-athlete development program for student-athletes at UAB.
“I am humbled and honored to receive this recognition from the Committee on Academic Advising and UAB’s campus administration,” Mackey said. “I have worked under phenomenal leadership in my time at UAB, and that has allowed me to cultivate an environment for collaboration on our campus and in the Birmingham community. I am very fortunate to work with incredible student-athletes, coaches and administrators here at UAB.”
Along with his day-to-day duties as an academic counselor, Mackey also served as the President of the UAB Committee on Academic Advising from 2014-16. His unique vision and innovative thinking style led to the creation of the UAB Student-Athlete Development Program in 2013 and the implementation of the UAB Leadership Academy for student-athletes in 2015.
Mackey also led UAB SAAC to more than 3,000 hours of community service in the Birmingham area over the course of this academic year.
“Since the day I arrived at UAB, I could see the passion, energy and thoughtfulness that Justin put into helping student-athletes succeed in the classroom and in life,” Associate Athletic Director/Student-Athlete Services Fernandez West said. “We are fortunate to have someone on our staff that cares so much for his students. He is a great asset to have at UAB.”
In his direct work with the men’s basketball program, Mackey was responsible for a dramatic improvement in the team’s Academic Progress Rate (APR), increasing from 955 to a perfect 1,000 during his four seasons with the Blazers. The UAB men’s basketball team currently holds the highest APR rate in Conference USA.
Mackey has also played a vital role in helping the basketball program enjoy a 100 percent graduation rate in each of his four seasons as academic counselor. His direction and leadership has also produced grade point average records in two different semesters since his arrival in Birmingham.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to have Justin Mackey working with our student-athletes on a daily basis,” UAB men’s basketball head coach Rob Ehsan said. “It was clear from the moment I met him how dedicated and committed he was to our program. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award.”
A native of Bonner Springs, Kan., Mackey attended the University of Kansas and earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies in 2004 and a master’s degree in communication studies in 2008.
