Colleen Evans serves as the director of the Student-Athlete Success Center, as well as an academic advisor. She brings over 20 years of experience in student services and academic advising to South Dakota.
Evans, originally from Montevideo, Minn., earned her bachelor's degree from Hamline University, and completed her master's degree at Sam Houston State University.
Evans started out her career as a teacher and coach in Brownsville, Texas. She then served as a graduate assistant at her alma mater, Sam Houston State, in the department of kinesiology. She got her first taste of academic advising in 1991, also at Sam Houston State, where she developed curriculum for "Academic Success Workshops," assisted in development of the student-athlete handbook and launched academic incentive programs.
Evans then joined the University of Minnesota academic counseling staff in 1993 where she nominated a successful recipient of an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, advised over 150 student athletes for degree progress and NCAA eligibility and in 1999 was promoted to Assistant Director of Academic Counseling and Student Services.
Evans then left the world of counseling student athletes to become a CTI (Coaches Training Institute) trained life coach. She founded Life Transitions Coaching in 2003, which provides life coaching for individuals in transition, and helps them identify values as well as live their authentic life.
From 2006 to 2012, Evans was at San Diego State University serving as the Director of Student-Athlete Academic Support Services. While she was there, the academic progress rate improved from 72% to 100%, the number of Scholar-Athletes nearly doubled and the number of student athletes on academic probation was cut in half. Evans also secured $40,000 in grants for programs and initiatives that provided technological aids for student athletes with learning disabilities, as well as updated the SDSU degree audit system and provided alcohol awareness programs for students.
In 2012, Evans founded, and is the current owner, of Student-Athlete Eligibility Consulting Services. This organization provides prospective college student athletes (high school and transfer) with transcript evaluation for NCAA initial eligibility standards, as well as academic guidance through the NCAA eligibility certification process.
Currently, Evans directs oversight for all programs focused on student-athlete success including academic advising, mentoring and other support programs here at the University of South Dakota.
