June 16, 2021

MORE Than Sports: How the SEC is Proving We’re Stronger Together

By: SEC Staff
SECU (Twitter: @TheSECU)

In 2011 the Southeastern Conference began a conscious effort to spotlight the academic accomplishments of its 14 member universities, apart from athletics. And over the past decade, we’ve worked to demonstrate how the SEC is MORE than sports. We do that in three main ways, and we’ll highlight each one during our 10-year celebration.

First – We promote the collective impact of our universities. We look at the BIG picture – like research expenditures or scholarships and grants awarded – to show how SEC universities are making a difference locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

We also promote individual accomplishments and the unique work of the SEC in the higher ed space, but more to come on that later.

Today, we’re celebrating collective accomplishments, so take a look at how we’re changing the world… together.

• All 14 universities in the Southeastern Conference have obtained a Very High Research Activity designation from the Carnegie Commission.
• The SEC has a living alumni network of nearly 3.9 million university graduates. That’s a lot of opportunities to connect and find support around the world!
• SEC universities have a combined economic impact of $77 billion, meaning we’re really good at bolstering the local community.
• This year, SEC universities graduated nearly 80,000 students – a huge contribution to the local, regional, national and international work force.
• There are SEC alumni at the helm of three of the top 10 Fortune 500 companies. Between Walmart (No. 1), Apple (No. 3), and Exxon Mobil (No. 10), SEC graduates have helped build more than a trillion dollars in revenue over the past year!

Stick around as we continue to celebrate the SEC’s 10-year commitment to promoting the academic accomplishments of its members. Tomorrow we’re focused on individuals who make the Conference proud! Follow @TheSECU on Twitter for more.