It’s a good sign for college sports that the number of student-athletes who reach graduation is on the rise - some 60 percent of Division I’s freshman class of 1995 graduated from college.
But MSU still has work to do.
For the same class of students, MSU only graduated 57 percent of its scholarship athletes. And the student-athlete graduation rate was 12 percentage points below the rate of graduation for nonathlete students at MSU.
Other Big Ten schools, such as the University of Michigan and Penn State University, have significantly higher student-athlete graduation rates than MSU.
This university must strive to reach the level of these sister schools in the Big Ten. MSU athletes consistently prove they can compete on the field with these universities, but we must be able to compete in the classroom as well.
Some athletics officials rightly point out that the number of athletes leaving early to go professional greatly affects graduation rates. For instance, with Ryan Miller leaving the hockey squad, 20 percent of Miller’s freshman hockey class won’t graduate.
But even taking players who leave to turn pro into consideration, MSU still has work to do. We can’t hide behind the number of NHL, NFL or NBA players we produce - this university’s core mission is education, not athletics.
MSU is an institution of higher education, not football Saturdays, March Madnesses and Frozen Fours. Student-athletes need to have a balance of academic and athletic capabilities.
Thankfully, MSU is trying to turn things in the right direction.
MSU’s athletics department recently hired associate athletics director Jim Pignataro to direct the Student-Athlete Support Services, which runs the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center, a $6-million facility opened in 1995.
He helped Eastern Michigan University earn recognition for the largest increase in athlete graduation rates from 1994 to 2000 among all Division I schools.
The resources now seem to be here - let’s hope the graduation rates for 1996’s freshmen prove it.
