NCAA President announces new graduation standard Jeff Rickel/ Reporter
Elon, N.C.— Dr. Myles Brand, president of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association, announced today the
NCAA’s aspiration to increase student athletes’
Graduation Success Rate to 80 percent.
After transfer students were counted, 76 percent of Division
1 student athletes graduated last year, a 24-point increase
from the 1990 total. And African Americans GSR rose 17
percent from 1990. Brand hopes that in six to seven years
universities will achieve this new goal, but knows it
won’t be easy.
“It’s going to take time and
patience,” Brand said. “We need to maintain high
standards and all levels of the institution must come
together to help intercollegiate athletes.”
Not all of the reforms and phases have been put in place to
reach the desired goal, and won’t be for two to three
years. However, Brand assured that teams that do not maintain
the required 925 Academic Performance Rate, or a 60 percent
GSR, will be punished.
“Those
schools that are not doing well will be in trouble,”
Brand explained. “Four years from now, when all phases
are in, the severe punishments will be used.”
Those severe punishments will include a loss of
scholarships, exclusion from postseason play and season
cancellations.
Brand said that it up to the institutions and their
presidents to supply leadership and academic advising to
their student athletes.
“[The NCAA] can’t and shouldn’t control
hiring at institutions,” Brand said. “But schools
with problems in APR do not have the tutors and other
academic advising that schools with higher APR’s
do.”
Brand also said that he thinks that intercollegiate sports
need more commercialization, not less. He thinks that
corporate sponsorship would help put the spotlight on student
athletes’ success.
“I
don’t know one student athlete, no matter what level,
that doesn’t want their team to be on
television,” Brand said.
Title IX was also addressed during Brand’s symposium.
Brand explained that Title IX does not take away opportunity
for men’s intercollegiate teams, but gives women more
opportunity. What it comes down to is the institution and
what sports they choose to spend money on.
Brand explained at a press conference, immediately following
his presentation that he announced this goal when he did
because he wanted to send a message to institutions. That
message is complacency is not the answer.
“The highest
priority of the NCAA is to give student athletes the best
education we can,” Brand said. “We’re
asking students to reach for the sky academically, as they
are expected to do athletically.”
More information on the goal of raising the GSR of student
athletes will be released in October by a NCAA task force.
Contact Jeff Rickel at pendulum@elon.edu or
278-7247
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