MVP Holdings Donates $42,000 to Selmon Mentoring Institute
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, DEC. 4, 2018 – Lee Roy Selmon put a premium on preparing student-athletes for life after sports and his legacy is living on through USF Athletics' Selmon Mentoring Institute.
The progressive program, consisting of two career development courses designed to help Bulls achieve their highest potential, got a huge boost of support in November in the form of a $42,000 donation through Lee Roy Selmon's and restaurant owner MVP Holdings.
"This is a very special day for the program and I am so honored to stand in Lee Roy's shoes to be a part of this program," said Selmon's wife, Claybra, during the Fall 2018 Mentor Luncheon at the Fifth Third Bank Club inside the Yuengling Center.
This summer, MVP Holdings held an event for the closing of Lee Roy Selmon's original location on Tampa's Boy Scout Boulevard. The proceeds from the event make up the generous donation to the Selmon Mentoring Institute that will go a long way in the mission of readying Bulls for the working world.
The Selmon Mentoring Institute begins with a two-credit development course at USF that focuses on identity and career planning. That course leads Bulls into a one-credit practicum, giving them an opportunity to engage in a one-on-one mentorship with a professional in the Tampa Bay area. The mentor pool consists of more than 120 experts from area companies, including the Tampa Bay Lightning and Rays, Disney, ESPN, Tampa Police Department, USF Health and many others.
A total of 113 student-athletes have graduated from the Selmon Mentoring Institute since its inception in 2014 and 82 Bulls participated in the program last school year.
"I'm so pleased with how this program continues to grow and I'm looking forward to how it's going to continue to grow more in the future," USF Vice President of Athletics
Michael Kelly said.
Learn more about the Selmon Mentoring Institute
HERE.
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men's and women's teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls' athletic program celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015, having begun with a men's soccer contest in 1965. Nearly 500 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 15 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, including four in 2016-17, and own 112 conference championships overall. Ten USF programs reached national postseason competition in the 2016-17 season and nine were ranked in the Top 25 nationally. The Bulls posted a program-record 86 percent Graduation Success Rate in 2016, logged an annual department grade-point average over a 3.0 for the six straight semesters, and saw 106 student-athletes earn their degree during the 2016-17 academic period.
– #GoBulls –
