Patrick G. Holmes has been appointed director of the Office of Academic Services for Student-Athletes at the University of Notre Dame. He had served as acting director since May.p. A 1979 graduate of Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Holmes returned to the University in 1997 to serve as a counselor in the academic services office. He has worked with student-athletes participating in men’s basketball and swimming, men’s and women’s tennis and fencing, softball, rowing and football.p. ?Notre Dame has a long and successful history of providing our student-athletes with the resources necessary to excel in a rigorous academic environment,? said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., vice president and associate provost. ?Since becoming acting director last year, Pat has demonstrated the commitment and ability to build upon that tradition. I am delighted to remove the ?acting? designation from his title and am confident that through his leadership Notre Dame will continue to serve as a positive model for the balance between athletics and academics.?p. Holmes served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and taught at the high school level after graduating from Notre Dame. He then spent eight years as a director for the Higher Achievement Program (HAP), a supplementary educational program for bright students in the poorest neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. His responsibilities included developing and directing HAP’s Follow Through Program, which helped place students into academically challenging educational programs and supported them once they were enrolled.p. Immediately prior to his return to Notre Dame, Holmes helped manage a family business in northeastern Pennsylvania for seven years.p. Holmes and his wife, Dr. Tish Kelly-Holmes, are the parents of five children, Kelly, 15; Patrick, 13; Chris, 11; Mary Kate, 9; and Kielty, 6.p. One of the first programs of its kind, the Office of Academic Services for Student-Athletes was established in 1964 and now includes 10 staff members who provide counseling, guidance and tutoring to more than 700 varsity athletes. The office is located in the new James and Leah Rae Morse Center for Academic Services.p. The success of Notre Dame’s academic initiatives for student-athletes is evident in the University’s graduation rate, which at 85 percent this year ranks fourth among all Division I-A colleges and universities. Notre Dame also has produced 143 Academic All-Americans the past four decades, a total that ranks second nationally.
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