SMU won the American Football Coaches Association's 2006 Academic Achievement Award with a 100% graduation rate. Boston College, Duke, Northwestern, Notre Dame and USM are the top five of the honorable mention category (of 28 schools) because of 90%+ football graduation rates.
Rice was the only other Conference USA school to be recognized in some way this year. This is a real feather in the cap for the Student Academic Enhancement Program that works with the student-athletes.
Once again, we fail to pass the laugh test. And once again, people are only too willing to believe nonsense.
What happened to the players who were not granted degrees? Did they wander off prematurely?
A student-athlete once told me that the "tutors" for the athletes sometimes wrote papers for them. That explains part of the grade, but how are the in-class tests handled?
Let's hear it for GRADE INFLATION!!! Way to go! Since we don't have students of the caliber of Duke or Northwestern, we must have the worst grade inflation in the nation.
Any state university from which 90% of football players can graduate is highly suspect and has a serious grade inflation problem. USM under Bower used to have a 70% graduation rate which is very good. What changed?
Staff wrote: Could it be that the majority of the athletes are majoring in an easy to get degree? I have heard the name of one mentioned on campus - coaching.
You may well be correct, but don't all students have to negotiate their way through a core curriculum?