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USM Forum -- Message Board -> AAUP-USM MESSAGE BOARD -> warning about USM sports grad rates
Post Info TOPIC: warning about USM sports grad rates
a callin'

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warning about USM sports grad rates
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I commend Jeff Bower and his staff for achieving such a fine graduation rate (85%) with the football program, among the nation's best.  This is a fine accomplishment, to say the least.


USM PR officials need to revel in this one while they can, however.  Though the football grad rates are likely to be quite high as long as Bower is on board, the same will not soon be said about other areas.  Both new b-ball coaches, Joye Lee McNelis and Larry Eustachy, are burning through players like Roman candles.  When the NCAA reports grad rates in 2011 and 2012, USM's are likely to seem like those from Memphis and its coach Dana Kirk from years past.  I wouldn't be surprised by figures in the teens for LE, and maybe even JLM.  LE has already lost basically his entire first recruiting class, which was quite large by national standards.  He's working on his (dubious) second now.  He also removed several of Green's former players.  McNelis has lost 6 or 7 players already off her first year's team.  All of this attrition counts in graduation statistics.  Look out 2012!



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Invictus

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I'm not sure about the NCAA graduation rates, but the Department of Education's IPEDS Graduation Rate Survey is restricted to a "cohort" consisting of first-time students. It looks to me like Eustachy is bringing in very, very few first-time college students. Ergo, most of his recruits will be exempted from the IPEDS athletic graduation rate calculations. If he brings in two first-time students on his team, he can cultivate the heck out of them & have a 100% graduation rate.

However, his antics this past season are probably going to result in a big BLIP in a few years...

That said, I don't think Eustacy is going to be around long enough to worry about graduation rates. Bower, OTOH, is dug in.

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ncaa thing

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The NCAA will look at all of the players Eustachy brings, and they don't make allowances for leaving school (for any reason).

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Invictus

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ncaa thing wrote:
The NCAA will look at all of the players Eustachy brings, and they don't make allowances for leaving school (for any reason).


Then I wish you'd inform the National Center for Education Statistics. Because if NCAA isn't using the stats, I think a lot of university institutional research offices are going to quit filing the IPEDS Graduation Rate Survey

BTW, IPEDS allows three exclusions from a graduation tracking cohort & I'd be very surprised if NCAA did not make the same allowances: (1) death of the student, (2) active duty military service, & (3) church missions. Obviously, NO university is going to agree to be held accountable for not graduating deceased students...

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Egg

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If an athlete graduates, let their family celebrate. Congratulate them before, during, and after the graduation ceremonies. Send them a graduation card if you wish. But then let them get on with their lives. Don't let an athlete or anyone else create a religion out of receiving a college degree. Publishing it far and wide makes me think there is something rotten in Denmark about the numbers.

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Mr. Wizard

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Did coach Bower make an appearance at the poorly attended pro-Thames rally back in 2004? I seem to remember that WDAM’s coverage of the non-event contained a very brief interview with Bower. Please correct me if I’m wrong. If so, I'm apologizing in advance.

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LVN

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Mr. Wizard, this was discussed at great length at the time. Most on the board at that time felt JB had little choice but to appear, and there was very little rancour towards him on that account. I would rather he stay here than get fired -- and he doesn't have quite the freedom a professor has.

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Sports fan prof

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LVN wrote:
Mr. Wizard, this was discussed at great length at the time. Most on the board at that time felt JB had little choice but to appear, and there was very little rancour towards him on that account. I would rather he stay here than get fired -- and he doesn't have quite the freedom a professor has.


I agree, LVN. This shows more about the Thames/Gianinni operation than it does about Bower.

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stephen judd

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Sports fan prof wrote:

LVN wrote: Mr. Wizard, this was discussed at great length at the time. Most on the board at that time felt JB had little choice but to appear, and there was very little rancour towards him on that account. I would rather he stay here than get fired -- and he doesn't have quite the freedom a professor has. I agree, LVN. This shows more about the Thames/Gianinni operation than it does about Bower.

In fact I got it from a few folks in athletics that not everyone over there was universally happy about being "invited" to show support for the administration.


 



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Mr. Wizard

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Stephen,

Do you see this as a mitigating factor? I can't quite grasp why posters here have adopted Coach Bower as a near-hero. From what little I know about him I would conjecture that he is a man concerned with his own affairs, not ours.

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