By ALVIN HOLLINS JR.
Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs
Florida A&M University Intercollegiate Athletics has made great strides in the past several years in addressing all aspects of the academic performance of its student-athletes in the past decade.
A concerted effort on the part of the FAMU administration, coaches, staff and student-athletes, in partnership with the university's various academic departments, has been largely responsible for the positive turnaround over the past several years.
Wednesday's release by the NCAA, which covered graduation rates from the period 1997-2001, may have been disheartening to some, however fans, alumni and the general public should be aware of the true academic state of the union in Florida A&M Athletics in 2007:
Improved Academic Performance
- In the past three years (2004-2005 to 2006-2007), 130 FAMU student-athletes have been named to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Commissioner's All-Academic Team (for persons with 3.0 grade point averages or higher) - 66 women and 64 men.
- In the 2006-2007 school year, 26 FAMU student-athletes received their undergraduate degrees, including five football players - all of whom finished within five years.
- The Academic Progress Rate (APR), a method instituted by the NCAA four years ago, evaluates the performance of student-athletes at each member school in the classroom, taking into account retention and progress toward a degree.
- During the 2005-2006 school year, 17 of 18 sports met or exceeded the baseline 925 rating.
- In 2006-2007, 10 of the 18 sports at Florida A&M achieved a perfect 1000 rating in the report released by the NCAA in February of this year.
Athletic Academic Support Center
In the 1997-1998 school year, Athletics employed just one (1) person responsible for academic advisement.
- Since 2003-2004, the University has partnered with Athletics to create an Academic Support Center dedicated specifically to all student-athletes.
This Support Center is supervised by an Associate Athletic Director for Academic Advisement Services, who in turn directs a staff of four full-time academic advisors responsible for the monitoring and counseling of all student-athletes.
Additionally, this Support Center provides tutoring services; a computer lab where student-athletes can do on-line research and complete class assignments; and sponsors a Life Skills program, which helps student-athletes prepare for life after sports.
Florida A&M University Athletics has been in operation since 1899 and its 13 national championships and 164 conference crowns are just the most visible part of a golden legacy which has as its foundation an emphasis on the academic excellence of its student-athletes as well.
Mr. Hollins works in the FAMU Department of Athletics. He has provided information on athletics at FAMU for more than 28 years.
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2 comments:
What about the new teaching gym? Are there any renderings?
It would be nice if Al Hollins office kept the athletic page current. What has the basketball team been doing lately, now that we have a new coach? We hired him and that was the end of the story.
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