Amanda Smith
Editor-in-Chief
Trosper’s office is located in the gymnasium (500 building) in Room 510. He began his new position at Butler in September. Amanda Smith
After growing up, attending school and then working in the San Francisco Bay Area for 25 years, newly named Director of Athletic Academic Services Matthew Trosper and his wife were “ready to explore opportunities outside of California,” and began the search for jobs outside of their home state.
When the position at Butler opened, Trosper applied and was “lucky enough to be selected.” Trosper moved to Kansas in September of last year and just a few days later, began his new job. The communal atmosphere and good reputation of Butler is what really attracted him to the position.
“Kansas wasn’t really the target, but it turned out to be a really nice fit,” Trosper said. “You feel really welcomed here, and I already feel like I know a lot of people here.”
Trosper worked at De Anza College in Cupertino, California for about 25 years in the same field, but prefers the smaller size of Butler over De Anza’s larger enrollment and feels that the people are more connected. His inspiration behind following this career path resides in the people who have influenced his life the most.
“Being involved in athletics at a young age, it was the guidance of the parents of my friends who were athletes, my coaches and counselors that kind of kept me moving in the right direction,” Trosper said. “I would say I fell into the position after I graduated from De Anza, but then I just loved it since.”
As the director of athletic academic services, Trosper has a variety of responsibilities. Among these is advising student-athletes, coordinating study times and helping student athletes transfer by monitoring progress and helping them get recognition. With all of these duties on his plate, Trosper said that the biggest obstacle he faces is the lack of time.
“There’s a lot I want to accomplish, but there’s no time really to sit down and really implement it,” Trosper said. “It’s a position that requires a lot of time, and it’s definitely an ongoing thing.”
Although he has only held this position for a few months, Trosper has goals for the students that come through his services and hopes to “fine tune” the system.
“My goals are to increase success and retention of student athletes and let them have as many opportunities as possible,” Trosper said.
