Senior lands NCAA leadership role
When Jack Langan ’24 isn’t in the kinesiology classroom or behind home plate catching for the Rams, you might find him in an airport preparing to lead a national meeting.
Langan is representing his peers at the national level as chair of the NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). This year he’s flown to Indianapolis and Phoenix for meetings. It’s something he’s proud of.
“I’m a college student, I’m 22, and I’m able to travel by myself, go to business meetings, and understand how to dress,” Langan said. “I would never have expected that I’d be speaking in front of college presidents and chancellors, or high-level administrators. I’m using my voice and speaking in a way that’s impactful and meaningful.”
About the photo: Cornell baseball player and chair of the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Jack Langan sometimes attends virtual meetings in the Ellen Whale Conference Room in the Richard and Norma Small Athletic and Wellness Center. Photo by Envisage Studios.
The kinesiology major also holds the same top position on Cornell’s SAAC and the Midwest Conference (MWC) SAAC. That means he’s involved in decision-making and policy-setting meetings at the local, conference, and national levels.
“We are really fortunate to have Jack represent Cornell at the highest level of NCAA student-athlete leadership,” said Director of Athletics Jeff Meeker. “He has found a passion for helping shape the student-athlete experience here at Cornell, within the Midwest Conference, and at the NCAA level. We are grateful for all of the time and effort he puts in and the impact that he has made.”
Langan’s passion
SAAC is an organization where students demonstrate their leadership and speak up about issues that matter most to them.
“Nationally, we have a lot of initiatives we push. We have diversity, equity, and inclusion, we have LGBTQ, and we have mental health–that’s at the forefront of everything we do.”
Langan has been heavily involved in the creation of a mental health waiver. He’s passionate about providing mental health support for athletes.
“The idea behind the waiver is if you experience a mental health crisis severe enough that you cannot complete your season, we’ll save your season because mental health is just as important as physical health,” Langan said. “We want to focus on that, and break the stigma, especially in athletics.”
At Cornell Langan is pushing for a more cohesive campus community, eliminating separation between athletes and nonathletes. SAAC is working with the Performing Arts and Activities Council (the group that organizes events on campus) and Student Senate to make sure athletes are at nonathletic events and nonathletes are at athletics events.“I’m really blessed and happy to be here. The amazing opportunities I’ve had off the baseball field are world-class and second to none, and I’m just trying to leave Cornell better than when I came here.”
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is a big part of SAAC, and it’s a bigger part of Langan’s life. In fact, he wrote about Special Olympics in his letter to the NCAA when he was applying to be involved in the national SAAC.
“I wrote about my experience with my little sister who has Down syndrome,” Langan said. “I wrote about coaching her in Special Olympics and how important that has been for her growth and development.”
Langan was excited because the NCAA Division III SAAC Annual Conference was held in Arizona this year, his home state, so his sister participated in the Special Olympics activities while he was there. “I was excited to see her there and see her shine.”
Langan’s future
This baseball player says he enjoys the block plan because he can schedule his day to the hour or the minute. He knows when classes are scheduled, when he can squeeze in a workout, when he needs to be at practice, and when he can work on his SAAC responsibilities.
Like his daily plan, he’s mapping out his future. He wants to get a master’s degree in sports administration and return to the NCAA with the hopes of getting a prestigious postgraduate internship. Then, he plans to go to law school. Eventually, he’d like to use his law degree to work at the NCAA where he’d continue to support student-athletes.
“Leading SAAC has been one of the best professional development opportunities I’ve ever done because it’s in a place I want to work, and it’s in the field I want to work,” Langan said. “I’m a student-athlete, and I love it. My chosen career path doesn’t exist without student-athletes, and I am grateful for what I’ve been able to do with the NCAA.”
