There are many roads to becoming a university athletics leader. But it certainly helps to have first-hand experience juggling myriad responsibilities and commitments as a student-athlete yourself.
Harry Stinson III, Director of Athletics and Recreational Services (as well as Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement) at Lincoln University, attributes much of his current success to his own time as a student, track athlete, and Omega Psi Phi fraternity member during his undergraduate years.
“I’ve been a student-athlete all my life. I can compartmentalize my day because I gained those skills from pledging, from being a student athlete,” says Stinson. “I now have the tools to pull on to help me navigate and manage the ebb and flow of being a vice president and leading athletics administration.”
Being adaptable—and unflappable—is an asset in the college athletics world, where federal rulings and NCAA mandates can transform programs in an instant. “We’re educating everybody everyday—from coaches to our alums to even our campus stakeholders. Some things affect us right now, some things are byproducts, but at the same time we need to be in position for whatever this new thing is going to turn into,” says Stinson.
When Lincoln leadership needed a tool to empower their coaches and student-athletes in this dynamic environment, they turned to RealResponse.
About Lincoln University
Founded in 1854 in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Lincoln University is the first degree-granting historically black college and university in the U.S. Over the institution’s first 100 years, Lincoln graduated approximately 20% of the black physicians and more than 10% of the black attorneys in the nation. Today, Lincoln serves over 1,700 undergraduate students across a breadth of academic programs. The Lincoln University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics encompasses 12 varsity sports, many of which are NCAA Division II teams.
Delivering wraparound support for the entire Lincoln Lion community
When Lincoln implemented RealResponse in 2022, Stinson and his team knew the best way to encourage adoption would be through a student-led rollout. Over the course of a semester, Lincoln’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council piloted the platform for two-way communication and surveys.
“Now you have buy-in, you have folks who can train other students.”
After the first year of adoption, more departments across the university were brought into the fold (including Athletics Training and Health Services), ensuring student-athlete concerns could be addressed by relevant experts in real time. Says Stinson, “When [Health Services] sees trigger words, they’re able to jump in and begin to connect with those students at that level. Having the extra advocacy group as part of our wraparound services for our students helps us take that off of the mind of a coach.”
Student-athlete reports submitted through the platform have covered broad territory: from seeking diet guidance, to managing severe anxiety and dealing with suicidal thoughts. Beyond creating a two-way dialogue to help individual students in need, these reports initiate campuswide conversations about new policies and resources Lincoln leadership should consider.
In addition to supporting student needs, RealResponse has been a productivity win for Lincoln’s coaching staff. Coaches use the platform’s survey functionality to keep a pulse on team morale and feedback, as well as its documentation capabilities to streamline record-keeping and compliance.
“I cannot give my coaches another set of staff, but what I can give them is time in your day. I can give them peace of mind,” says Stinson. By automatically documenting and centralizing sensitive information, RealResponse empowers Lincoln coaches to spend less time on paperwork and more time with their teams.
“It puts a timestamp on things. It keeps us organized, helps us communicate clearly and effectively, but also keeps us accountable as well.”
A student-centered approach to evolving Lincoln athletics
Leveling Up With RealResponse
- Minimized Lincoln coaching staff time spent on documentation and investigations.
- Gave departments across the university greater visibility into student-athlete feedback and concerns.
- Reinforced compliance protocols, ensuring that staff have complete records for misconduct reports and even team-specific interactions.
Day to day, RealResponse offers an accessible way for Lincoln student-athletes to share critical concerns, and for coaches to maintain greater visibility into the health and wellness of their teams. Over the years since implementation, however, the platform has been integral to the university’s own transformation.
“RealResponse has helped us to evolve as an athletics department, to provide [new] services and to critically think about how we best help our students,” says Stinson.
The information captured through the system has empowered Stinson’s team to build bridges with other departments across the institution, from student clubs to the campus ministry team. As a result, the perception of how to support student-athletes has changed for the better.
“Folks often think that with student-athletes, it’s the coaches’ responsibility to get them the resources they need,” explains Stinson. “Now the campus sees them from a global standpoint.”
For Stinson and his colleagues, that kind of feedback loop—and partnership—is invaluable. “Our students have confidence that their voice is going to be heard. We are listening, and we are acting upon it.”
Learn more about how RealResponse can amplify the voices and insights you need to strengthen your institution’s culture.
