Indiana Recognized For Excellence in Promoting the Scholar-Athlete Ideal

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Mark Murphy was a two-time Academic All-American at IU as well as a top performer on the field

Mark Murphy was a two-time Academic All-American at IU as well as a top performer on the field

Written By T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Indiana Recognized For Excellence in Promoting the Scholar-Athlete Ideal

College sports are many things to many different people. That makes it very difficult to define what an ideal scholar-athlete is. However, I think all can agree that excellence scholastically, athletically and as a leader are important components of most people’s vision of what the ideal scholar-athlete looks like. As part of the National Football Foundation Faculty Salutes Initiative, sponsored by Fidelity Investments, Indiana Faculty Athletics Representative Kurt Zorn is being awarded for his efforts in fostering excellence among the student-athletes. Former IU football player and Academic All-American Mark Murphy represented the Hoosiers in the 2014 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class after he maintained a 3.85 GPA as an informatics major. Kurt Zorn, IU’s Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, will be presented with a commemorative plaque and IU will be awarded $5,000 prior to April 10’s home baseball game against Rutgers.

“Kurt Zorn has been a critical liaison between academics and athletics at Indiana,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Kurt has been exemplary in ensuring academic integrity and has always been an outstanding representative of IU Athletics. I can think of no one more deserving of such an award,” added IU AD Fred Glass.

In addition to his role as the Associate Vice Provost, Zorn is an economist and a professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs specializing in state and local public finance.

The NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments, were established in 1959 as the first initiative in history to honor scholar-athletes with postgraduate scholarships for their combined athletic, academic and leadership abilities. In the 56-year history of the program, more than $10.7 million has been awarded to 804 individuals.