Branford College Student Inducted Into 3.0 Club

Erica McLean, a Branford resident and student at American International College (AIC) in Springfield, MA, was recently inducted into the 3.0 Club at her school.

The 3.0 club honors student-athletes who have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better after at least one year of enrollment at AIC.

McLean, a member of the AIC Women's Lacrosse team, is a Business Studies major.

"Athlete stereotypes just aren't true anymore," said Richard F. Bedard, director of athletics at AIC. "Our student-athletes achieve in the classroom and the community.

Bedard said by having the induction ceremony at the start of the school year it allows the new students to see the accomplishments of the upperclassmen and give them something to strive for.

Jill McCarthy Payne, a criminal justice professor at AIC and chair of the faculty athletic board, said the club is one the college takes pride in. "Too often student athletics has a negative connotation, but at AIC we are proud that our athletes are also very good students and campus leaders," she said.

During the ceremony, special awards were presented to three sport athletes, two sport student-athletes and the student with the highest grade point average on each team.

"We anticipate at least one third of our student-athlete population will again meet the eligibility criteria for induction into the 3.0 Club," said McCarthy-Payne.

American International College is a private, coeducational institution offering undergraduate and graduate programs in the the schools of Business, Arts and Sciences, Health Sciences and Graduate and Adult Education.