SIUE Athletics Tabbed National Leader in NCAA Academics Report
SIUE continues to be Illinois’ best public institution in graduating student-athletes and among the top 10 public schools nationally, according to a report released Tuesday by the NCAA.
Seven SIUE programs earned a perfect score of 100 percent in the latest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) figures. The men’s tennis, men’s track and field/cross country, women’s basketball, women’s golf, softball, women’s tennis and volleyball teams all earned a perfect score.
“I am very pleased that SIUE remained in the top 10 of all public institutions and No. 1 in the state of Illinois with the graduation success rate high benchmark,” said SIUE Director of Athletics Dr. Brad Hewitt. “It’s always a challenge to remain at this high level, but we never have wavered from our commitment to success not only on the field but in the classroom.”
The GSR for the group of SIUE student-athletes in the 2006-2009 cohort is 90 percent overall.
Among Illinois schools, SIUE was ahead of all other state universities in GSR, topping Illinois State (88), Illinois (87), Northern Illinois (87), Eastern Illinois (84), Illinois-Chicago (82), SIU Carbondale (81), Western Illinois (79) and Chicago State (68).
Forty-three specific teams from the Ohio Valley Conference earned the distinction of a perfect GSR score. SIUE trailed only Belmont, a private school, and equaled Murray State in the number of perfect scores among OVC institutions.
In addition to the programs with a perfect 100 GSR, the SIUE baseball, men’s basketball, men’s soccer and women’s soccer programs also exceeded the national average.
GSR was created in 1995 in response to Division I college and university presidents who wanted a rate that more accurately reflected the mobility of all college students than the federal graduation rate (FGR).
The GSR formula, intended to be a more complete and accurate look at student-athlete success, removes from the rate student-athletes who leave school while academically eligible and includes student-athletes who transfer to a school after initial enrollment elsewhere.
