Ellen Tripp, who has been serviing as the interim director of the Counseling Program for Intercollegiate Athletes at UConn since last May, was appointed to the job on a permanent basis today.

Here is the release from UConn

Ellen Tripp, who has been a member of the staff of the Counseling Program for Intercollegiate Athletes at the University of Connecticut  since 1998, has been named Associate Director of Athletics-CPIA and will serve as director of the program. Tripp had been serving as the Interim Director of CPIA since May 2012. Tripp will also serve on the Leadership Team for the Division of Athletics under Director of Athletics Warde Manuel.

The CPIA program at UConn oversees a comprehensive academic support program for over 700 student-athletes. During her time as Interim Director, Tripp also oversaw the support for the football and men’s and women’s basketball teams.

Tripp developed a monthly “High Five Husky” awards program to recognize student-athletes who contribute to a strong academic culture on their teams. She expanded the study hall hours and space for UConn teams and she coordinated and continues to develop the Freshman Summer Bridge Program, which brings incoming student-athletes to campus early to get acclimated to college academics.

“I am very honored to be named as the director of the CPIA program at UConn,” said Tripp. “I look forward to building upon the strong academic success that we have enjoyed here at UConn. Expanding the services and opportunities that we offer our student-athletes will be a top priority for all of us in CPIA as we move forward. I am also very excited about being part of the Leadership Team for the entire Division of Athletics.”

“Ellen has been a valuable member of the University community for many years and I am pleased that she will now permanently oversee our CPIA program,” said UConn Director of Athletics Warde Manuel. “The academic success of our student-athletes and the attainment of an undergraduate degree is one of the primary missions of the Division of Athletics. Ellen has a passion for our student-athletes to develop academically, socially and personally and I have been extremely impressed with the leadership she has provided CPIA over the past year. I believe that she will also continue to be a very important and effective member of our Division of Athletics Leadership Team.”

Tripp joined CPIA as a counselor in December of 1998 and worked with the men’s soccer, field hockey, men’s track and field and men’s and women’s tennis programs. In June of 2000, she became the Football Program Director for CPIA. The UConn football team had the highest Graduate Success Rate (GSR) in the BIG EAST Conference twice since 2008 and the team’s annual APR (Academic Progress Rates) has consistently been well above the national average for all FBS team and public institutions.

Tripp came to UConn after working at Boston University from 1994-98 as an Assistant Coordinator of Educational Services, where she served as the primary academic counselor for men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, rowing and lacrosse.  

She was an Academic Consultant at Holy Cross from 1996-97 and an Academic Resource Coordinator at UMass-Amherst from 1991-94.

Tripp earned her undergraduate degree from UMass with a degree in sports management in 1996 and added a master’s degree from Boston University in counseling and sports psychology in 1997.