For Nick Binder, the most important aspect of being a student-athlete at MSU was growing as an individual.
"Not only does it give you a lesson in time management, it shows you can take on a very difficult task and succeed," said Binder, a former MSU soccer player who graduated in December.
He was one of more than 200 student-athletes recognized Sunday at the seventh annual Spartan Academic Excellence Gala at the Kellogg Center. The event celebrated student-athletes with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher and community-service involvement.
Binder was awarded the President's Award, given to the male and female athlete with the highest GPA. He graduated with a cumulative 3.75 GPA.
The ceremony is essential for focusing on the positive aspects of collegiate athletics, said Jim Pignataro, director of Student-Athlete Support Services, which organized the event.
"So many times there's a negative perception of student-athletes," Pignataro said. "This is a way of focusing on the good, and we'd be wrong not to focus on that."
This year's keynote speaker was Gen. Donald Cook, commander of Air Education and Training Command at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas. Cook graduated from MSU with a communication arts degree in 1969 and joined the Air Force that same year through MSU's ROTC program.
"MSU is firstly an academic institution, secondly a great place for athletics," Cook said. "The combination of scholar-athlete is what athletics should really be."
Cook intended to be a student-athlete; he tried out for the baseball and football teams at MSU, but didn't make either squad.
"I decided to shift my focus to getting through school," he said jokingly.
MSU athletics director Ron Mason emphasized the importance of being a well-rounded student.
"You need every possible weapon to succeed in today's world, and some of these students have more than others," Mason said.
Giving back to the community also is imperative of student athletics, said MSU women's basketball player Liz Shimek, who holds a 3.88 cumulative GPA. The team is involved in such services as reading to schoolchildren and Race for the Place.
"Whenever we can, it's important to go out into the community and give them the support they give us," Shimek said.
