The Right Decision

Jehric Hackney #35

Running back and team captain

“I took a different route than a lot of my peers in high school. I was really involved in athletics, but I was unsure of where I wanted to go,” says Hackney. “After high school, I was looking at colleges and the head coach at Norwich came and talked with me. I was stuck between the mindset of being a Vermont resident, staying close to home, and wanting the experience of going beyond state lines. I ended up going to prep school for half a year in Massachusetts.”

The football coach at the time, Mark Murnyack, kept in touch with Hackney during his time in prep school. “He showed me what Norwich was about. The culture, the standards to which they hold their student-athletes, and everything that he was telling me fit all my checkmarks,” says Hackney. “I hadn’t realized what Norwich stood for while doing my own research.”

Hackney felt a bond forming between himself and the Norwich staff. “The coach told me how I could be one of ‘those players,’ a success from Vermont. It really fit,” he says. “Looking back at it now, it really fit what I was looking for. It’s close to home, so I’m well known in this community, and it was also a very, very huge fit for me financially.”

Though he was recruited for football, the classroom was just as important to him as Saturdays on the field. “There’s an attitude of striving for excellence by all students, not just the Corps of Cadets. Having these attributes around campus really shaped me as an individual, made me think of discipline, and helped me hold myself accountable to do what I need to do to the best of my ability,” says Hackney. “It’s just a great environment here.”

Continued off-the-field support from one of his coaches drove Hackney to reach new heights during his undergraduate education’s culminating internship. “I really excelled from that,” he says. “It was an amazing experience and involved being close to athletic programs here that I’ll never forget.” He sees the multitude of opportunities at Norwich as a benefit of the networking that takes place through the school’s community. “He was an amazing coach on the football field and then he helped me to get involved in play-by-play broadcasting, collecting hockey stats, and recording stats for softball games,” says Hackney. “That internship was a requirement for my sports management minor and communications major to graduate last year, so that was a really big help.”

Hackney took advantage of all that Norwich had to offer and graduated last spring with a degree in communications and a minor in athletic sports management. Although he had just graduated from the University, his Norwich story would continue much the same way it started: a coach and former teammate on the football staff recruited him into the Master of Science in Leadership program through the CGCS. “He’s in the second or third semester of the same program now. He introduced it to me, told me the route, and showed me how it would be manageable for me,” says Hackney. “Knowing what kind of person I was, he said I could definitely succeed. I was happy to get that information from a former teammate, and I trusted him.”

Now in his master’s program, Hackney continues to see how the seemingly different worlds of athletics and academics go hand in hand. “I use my motivation on the football field to help me pursue my academics, and vice versa; it’s rigorous,” he says. Sharing that rigorous environment alongside others motivates him in a unique way. “I think that being here and integrating that culture of needing to push myself to be the best that I can has really helped me to navigate through my academic challenges. I want to be great in my academics because of football,” he says. “The culture of the football has been pushing for that standard ever since day one. Norwich is a very demanding school. You know they’re going to push you and expect you to demonstrate excellence and to be a leader because everyone here is a leader in their own way.”

Learning about leadership on a personal level has come natural to Hackney, and he enjoys learning more about what is expected of those in leadership positions. “I’ve been a captain and a leader for the football team for two years here, and back in high school I was a three-year captain, so I’ve always had a leadership role in athletics,” he says. “The deep dive was very important to me. I can always strive to be a better leader, better captain, and better individual every day.”

“Every day there’s always an example of excellence. You walk through campus, and you see the Corps of Cadets lined up, and then you see students from foreign countries excelling in all types of departments. Even students that are local are so surprised that there are so many people from all over the world here that work very hard, are dedicated, and very driven in what they do,” says Hackney. “The idea of just surrounding yourself with these kinds of people pushes me and motivates me to look deeper and know what I want to do when I leave here.”

Hackney has spent most of his life around athletics and hopes that he can continue down that path in his career. “I had that communications internship last semester, and I really love the game of football. I would love to try and get involved with coaching or something close to athletics like an athletic director. The impact athletics has had on my life motivates me to stay in that field.”

Henri Bourque #7

Wide receiver and graduate student

“I chose Norwich because of its strong reputation both academically and athletically, as well as the flexibility it gave me,” says Bourque. “The online program allows me to balance my studies with football effectively.”

Bourque found himself in Norwich’s CGCS by way of transfer following his graduation from Merrimack College with a degree in business administration. “The online format gives me flexibility to manage my schedule effectively, allowing me to complete coursework at times that fit around my football commitments,” he says. “I knew it would challenge me but also that I would be able to do the work when I could.”

“Time management is key,” says Bourque of his workload. “I think it can be challenging to be a full-time student and an athlete, but you find ways to balance both and manage it. Setting goals on a weekly basis during the season, ensuring that I get enough rest at night, and then focusing on nutrition keeps me mentally sharp for games, practices, and class.”

While his schedule is jam-packed, Bourque benefits from both an athletic and academic support system. “The coaches are very understanding and supportive of my academic goals. They set time aside for academics and they understand what’s important and why you’re at Norwich,” he says. As a graduate student, Bourque is in class alongside many working professionals. Their schedules may be hectic for different reasons, but they all share a commitment to completing their Norwich education. “My instructors know that we also have demanding schedules, and because of that, I don’t think the professors overwhelm us with work. They understand that people have other responsibilities outside of the academic realm.”

“I think Norwich, in general, fosters a strong community of encouraging academic success alongside athletic performance,” says Bourque. Through his online program, he sees that partnership create flexibility as a student-athlete. “I can work around my athletic schedule and the online platform allows me to learn at my own pace without sacrificing other commitments. I can use my time on the bus or on the way to games to complete some of my classwork.”

Bourque has spent much of his life playing football and sees many parallels and intersections with Norwich academics. “Being part of a sports team for so long has really sharpened my teamwork and leadership skills, both of which are essential in group course work,” he says. “Finding ways to adapt and get everyone working together is essential even in different settings.”

Upon graduation, Bourque plans to implement the lessons learned through sports and the classroom in the business world, “First in operations, and then eventually as a proprietor,” he says. “My father has worked 33 years in the painting business, so I want to learn from him as well. I can take what I learned from the MBA and combine it with what I learned from my father.”

Though he has only spent a year at Norwich, Bourque values his education and experience on the football team. “Being a part of Alumni Weekend, it really confirmed what I’ve known about Norwich. The sense of pride that people have in this University, both academically and athletically, is special,” he says. “It’s clear that the Norwich community deeply values its traditions and achievements, and that pride is what fuels its strong reputation. Being part of that kind of environment only reinforced that I made the right decision.”

This story was previously published in the spring 2025 edition of the Norwich Record.