SECU

The member institutions of the Southeastern Conference joined forces in 2005 to form the SEC Academic Consortium (SECAC), a collaborative endeavor designed to promote research, scholarship and achievement amongst the universities. In 2011, the SEC Academic Consortium was relocated to the SEC headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama, from its original home on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, and was renamed SECU.

In addition, the SEC Academic Network, an online library of institutionally-produced videos featuring academic initiatives and stories from all Southeastern Conference institutions, was officially merged into the SECU operation. The SEC Academic Network was created in 2009 in partnership with ESPN.

“Under the direction of our Presidents and Chancellors, we are moving into the second phase of the conference’s Academic Consortium.” said then SEC and current University of Florida President Dr. Bernie Machen. “The SECAC will now move forward with a renewed vision for supporting the academic mission of the SEC’s 14 universities.”

SECU

The renewed SECU vision is to serve as the primary mechanism through which the collaborative academic endeavors and achievements of Southeastern Conference universities are promoted and advanced. Its goals include highlighting the endeavors and achievements of SEC faculty, students and its universities; advancing the academic reputation of SEC universities beyond their traditional regions; identifying and preparing future leaders for high-level service in academia; increasing the amount and type of education abroad opportunities available for students; and providing opportunities for collaboration among SEC university personnel.

“This academic initiative provides an opportunity for our schools to work together to enhance and share academic resources,” SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said. “This collaboration operates parallel to, but separate from, the athletic side of the Conference.”

Through SECU, the Southeastern Conference supports a diverse set of programs and events for students, faculty and administrators from across the league. These programs include the following:

  • The SEC Academic Leadership Development Program seeks to identify, prepare and advance academic leaders for roles within SEC institutions and beyond. It has two components, a university-level program and two, three-day, SEC-wide workshops held on specified campuses for all participants.
  • The SEC Faculty Achievement and Professor of the Year Awards recognize faculty with outstanding records in research and scholarship. There is one winner per campus and one overall winner for the Conference.
  • The SEC Faculty Travel Grant Program is intended to enhance collaboration that stimulates scholarly initiatives between SEC universities. The program offers faculty from each SEC university the opportunity to travel to other SEC universities to develop grant proposals and conduct research.
  • The SEC College Tour occurs each spring, and administrators from all SEC universities participate in events intended to introduce SEC universities to students, parents and high school counselors from outside of the Southeast region.
  • The SEC Symposium is an academic conference-type event intended to address a scholarly issue in an area of strength represented by all SEC universities. Held in Atlanta, Georgia, this marquee event puts on display the research and innovation of SEC institutions for an audience of academicians, government officials, grant funding agents and other stakeholders.
  • The SEC Cooperative Education Abroad Agreement provides opportunities for students from all SEC universities to access international programs offered at other SEC universities. And as part of a renewable agreement, Italian engineering students from the Politecnico di Torino (PdT) have the opportunity to enroll at SEC universities each fall, and engineering SEC students may study there the following spring.