04-08-2003, 08:33 PM
Don't know how many have been following this. Under its new leadership, the NCAA is considering rewarding/punishing schools with graduation rates of student athletes significantly lower than their overall student body. Beyond warnings, sanctions under consideration include bans from post season play and loss of scolarships.
Here's the link if you haven't been following the debate:
<a href='http://espn.go.com/ncb/s/2003/0403/1533643.html' target='_blank'>http://espn.go.com/ncb/s/2003/0403/1533643.html</a>
Just to see how the MAC would rate, I pulled this data from the NCAA board. (Used the '95-96 cohort, as I believe this is the same referenced in the ESPN link). All MAC schools except Miami and OU would benefit, and they have excellent graduation rates as compared to those in the more prominent conferences and are in the top 1/2 of the MAC.
This is how MAC ranks in order of athlete graduation rates with overall rates in (). Overall rate breaks ties:
Ball State 71% (47%)
Miami 68% (79%)
Buffalo 68% (56%)
CMU 66% (51%)
BGSU 65% (58%)
Kent 64% (42%)
NIU 62% (44%)
Akron 60% (40%)
Ohio 58% (70%)
EMU 55% (34%)
WMU 54% (53%)
Marshall 54% (35%)
Personally, I support the idea. Let the factories be called out for what they are and save the post season NCAA honors for the real student athletes.
Here's the link if you haven't been following the debate:
<a href='http://espn.go.com/ncb/s/2003/0403/1533643.html' target='_blank'>http://espn.go.com/ncb/s/2003/0403/1533643.html</a>
Just to see how the MAC would rate, I pulled this data from the NCAA board. (Used the '95-96 cohort, as I believe this is the same referenced in the ESPN link). All MAC schools except Miami and OU would benefit, and they have excellent graduation rates as compared to those in the more prominent conferences and are in the top 1/2 of the MAC.
This is how MAC ranks in order of athlete graduation rates with overall rates in (). Overall rate breaks ties:
Ball State 71% (47%)
Miami 68% (79%)
Buffalo 68% (56%)
CMU 66% (51%)
BGSU 65% (58%)
Kent 64% (42%)
NIU 62% (44%)
Akron 60% (40%)
Ohio 58% (70%)
EMU 55% (34%)
WMU 54% (53%)
Marshall 54% (35%)
Personally, I support the idea. Let the factories be called out for what they are and save the post season NCAA honors for the real student athletes.