Jen Iso
Sports Assistant
College athletes at Pepperdine are working hard on and off the playing field, and now the university has reason to brag about its NCAA report card. Five Pepperdine teams recently received a perfect 1000 on the Academic Progress Rate (APR).
The APR, released in March, was designed to hold athletes accountable for their grades. Pepperdine fared well in the latest report and athletes, as well as coaches and staff, hope to continue this trend for years to come.
The National College Athletic Association (NCAA) implemented the APR in order to keep students on-track and improve academics. The APR awards two points to every athlete who maintains academic eligibility and remains in school. The total is then divided by the total points possible. Should a team fall below 925, it should expect to see repercussions.
“The APR is a reflection on what college athletics is all about- that is being a student-athlete,” Athletic Director John Watson said. “A quality education is essential to the future of our students.”
Pepperdine men’s volleyball, men’s golf, men’s water polo, women’s golf and women’s tennis team all earned a spot in the top 10 percent of the two-year APR score. Pepperdine, second to only Gonzaga in the 8-team West Coast Conference was publicly recognized for having five teams receive this honor.
Although practice and games are important, collegiate players are required to concentrate on their studies as well. For this reason, the NCAA’s incentives-disincentives program gives athletes the opportunity to earn points for their academic performance.
“I think it is a good measurement and it holds each sports program accountable,” Associate Athletic Director Roxanne Levenson said. “I like the fact that it’s within a sport rather than an entire institution.”
Division I athletic teams have accepted the conditions of this new academic standard for athletes. A penalty is induced should an athlete fail to maintain academic eligibility or decide to leave the school. Teams are awarded points when a student meets eligibility requirements, graduates, or is retained.
Penalties result in a loss of scholarships for the school. However, a school cannot lose more than 10 percent of its scholarship money.
“None of our teams had APR scores which would result in penalties,” Levenson said.
The 2005-06 report was based upon 2004-05 data, which was collected from colleges over the past couple years. Some teams in the West Coast Conference (WCC) received penalties, such as University of San Diego, but no score was drastic enough to receive more than a warning and a contract that promises to improve scores the following term.
According to the NCAA website, the association is taking measures to ensure the success of college athletes. Athletes are required to graduate within five years and the NCAA encourages athletes to make academics a priority.
“The earning of a degree has enormous position implications on their lives,” Watson said. “I fully support the APR efforts to keep colleges and universities focused on their educational mission.”
Athletes have a great career while in college, and some are lucky enough to continue playing a sport professionally. However, healthy bodies are not going to last forever. An injury can be a huge detriment to a college athlete. Sports players need an education to fall back on when circumstances don’t work out as planned.
“[College athletes] absolutely need to take advantage of what they can get out of their education at Pepperdine while they are here for their sport at all levels,” lacrosse Head Coach Paul Ramsey said.
The APR standards are new and the NCAA expects that receiving more data in the future will lead to accurate results that reflect the team’s academic abilities. With scores from only two years, the small sample size does not provide sufficient information to tell where the school’s academics are headed. However, punishment will continue to meet the qualifications.
Coaches need to be part of the equation as well. While it is the athletes’ responsibility to do well in school, coaches need to reiterate the importance of education.
“Coaches need to be held accountable,” Levenson said.
Ramsey agrees. “Coaches are involved with the athletes on a daily basis. If any has a strong influence on these athletes, it’s their coach.”
The NCAA expects that by pushing education and work ethic, athletes will learn how to manage their studies as well as their sport.
Watson agrees and said that hard work, time management and the value of education are important elements in the success of collegiate athletes.
With strict regulations and motivation for college athletes, colleges should expect to see an improvement in academic scores. The NCAA website states, “The adoption of the academic reform package by the Division I membership has shown it is serious about reaffirming the emphasis on ‘student’ in the student-athlete equation.”
College athletes at Pepperdine are working hard on and off the playing field, and now the university has reason to brag about its NCAA report card. Five Pepperdine teams recently received a perfect 1000 on the Academic Progress Rate (APR).
The APR, released in March, was designed to hold athletes accountable for their grades. Pepperdine fared well in the latest report and athletes, as well as coaches and staff, hope to continue this trend for years to come.
The National College Athletic Association (NCAA) implemented the APR in order to keep students on-track and improve academics. The APR awards two points to every athlete who maintains academic eligibility and remains in school. The total is then divided by the total points possible. Should a team fall below 925, it should expect to see repercussions.
“The APR is a reflection on what college athletics is all about- that is being a student-athlete,” Athletic Director John Watson said. “A quality education is essential to the future of our students.”
Pepperdine men’s volleyball, men’s golf, men’s water polo, women’s golf and women’s tennis team all earned a spot in the top 10 percent of the two-year APR score. Pepperdine, second to only Gonzaga in the 8-team West Coast Conference was publicly recognized for having five teams receive this honor.
Although practice and games are important, collegiate players are required to concentrate on their studies as well. For this reason, the NCAA’s incentives-disincentives program gives athletes the opportunity to earn points for their academic performance.
“I think it is a good measurement and it holds each sports program accountable,” Associate Athletic Director Roxanne Levenson said. “I like the fact that it’s within a sport rather than an entire institution.”
Division I athletic teams have accepted the conditions of this new academic standard for athletes. A penalty is induced should an athlete fail to maintain academic eligibility or decide to leave the school. Teams are awarded points when a student meets eligibility requirements, graduates, or is retained.
Penalties result in a loss of scholarships for the school. However, a school cannot lose more than 10 percent of its scholarship money.
“None of our teams had APR scores which would result in penalties,” Levenson said.
The 2005-06 report was based upon 2004-05 data, which was collected from colleges over the past couple years. Some teams in the West Coast Conference (WCC) received penalties, such as University of San Diego, but no score was drastic enough to receive more than a warning and a contract that promises to improve scores the following term.
According to the NCAA website, the association is taking measures to ensure the success of college athletes. Athletes are required to graduate within five years and the NCAA encourages athletes to make academics a priority.
“The earning of a degree has enormous position implications on their lives,” Watson said. “I fully support the APR efforts to keep colleges and universities focused on their educational mission.”
Athletes have a great career while in college, and some are lucky enough to continue playing a sport professionally. However, healthy bodies are not going to last forever. An injury can be a huge detriment to a college athlete. Sports players need an education to fall back on when circumstances don’t work out as planned.
“[College athletes] absolutely need to take advantage of what they can get out of their education at Pepperdine while they are here for their sport at all levels,” lacrosse Head Coach Paul Ramsey said.
The APR standards are new and the NCAA expects that receiving more data in the future will lead to accurate results that reflect the team’s academic abilities. With scores from only two years, the small sample size does not provide sufficient information to tell where the school’s academics are headed. However, punishment will continue to meet the qualifications.
Coaches need to be part of the equation as well. While it is the athletes’ responsibility to do well in school, coaches need to reiterate the importance of education.
“Coaches need to be held accountable,” Levenson said.
Ramsey agrees. “Coaches are involved with the athletes on a daily basis. If any has a strong influence on these athletes, it’s their coach.”
The NCAA expects that by pushing education and work ethic, athletes will learn how to manage their studies as well as their sport.
Watson agrees and said that hard work, time management and the value of education are important elements in the success of collegiate athletes.
With strict regulations and motivation for college athletes, colleges should expect to see an improvement in academic scores. The NCAA website states, “The adoption of the academic reform package by the Division I membership has shown it is serious about reaffirming the emphasis on ‘student’ in the student-athlete equation.”
06-06-2006