UA News

A major overhaul in academic support services for University of Arizona student athletes that was implemented in 2007 is producing very positive results.

A major overhaul in academic support services for University of Arizona student athletes that was implemented in 2007 is producing very positive results, University officials say.

As the NCAA releases graduation success rates this week for past UA student athletes, UA officials say the performance of today's students athletes is far better, thanks to a 2 1/2-year effort to improve their academic performance.

"We have great academic support services in place, and our student athletes are performing better in the classroom than ever before," UA Athletics Director Jim Livengood said. "The future looks very bright for UA student athletes."

The NCAA's Academic Progress Rate, or APR, is a complex scoring system for determining how well current student athletes in each sport are performing in real time. Aimed at measuring the eligibility, retention and timely graduation of scholarship-student athletes, APR scores among the UA's athletic programs have gone steadily up in nearly every sport since the 2007 reforms were enacted.

Of the 19 intercollegiate sports the NCAA evaluated, 15 showed improved APRs. All three of the sports that saw reductions since 2006 – men's and women's swimming and women's basketball – had already been performing at high levels, with scores of 951, 974, and 946 respectively in 2008.

The UA's announcement came as the NCAA released its annual comparisons of six-year federal graduation rates of students who enrolled as freshmen seven to 10 years ago. During that time, the UA's 46 percent graduation rate fell below the national average of 64 percent.

Academic staff are confident that, as future NCAA comparisons of six-year graduation rates are released, the UA's current successes will result in the UA surpassing the national graduation average.

UA officials noted that this year's rates include students who enrolled as freshman between 1999 and 2002, years before the UA's current commitment to academic excellence among student athletes was conceived and implemented.

"Today's NCAA comparison literally reaches back to evaluate students who enrolled at the UA when today's freshmen were in the 3rd grade. That was three football coaches, three basketball coaches and two University presidents ago," Livengood said. "We are living in a very different and vastly improved world, and our students' academic performance shows it."

The 2007 overhaul included transitioning C.A.T.S. Academics – which provides academic support services to student athletes – to the Division of Student Affairs, which improved services to athletes and placed the accountability for academic success outside of Intercollegiate Athletics.

"In the past 2 ½ years since this implementation, we have already seen positive results in tracking and improving academic progress for students," said Mike Meade, interim director of C.A.T.S. Academics. "We also have generated enhanced awareness of NCAA rules, better engagement among student athletes and coaches and campuswide involvement in the retention of the entire student population."

Additional changes to academic support services for student athletes included:

Recruitment: Prospective student-athletes who make official visits to campus receive an in-depth look at C.A.T.S. Academics, which includes individual and/or group presentations on services, University life, preliminary review of high school transcripts, and the opportunity for students and parents to tour the facility and ask questions.

Learning Specialists: Additional learning specialists and tutors were hired, including a full-time math specialist to assist student-athletes in preparing for the University's Math Readiness Test, and with developing their math skills to successfully complete their math courses.

Mentor Program: Several student mentors were hired to supplement the support provided by the learning specialists and tutoring staff. Mentors work individually with new and at-risk student-athletes on a regular basis on organizational skills, time management and academic planning. Mentors provide immediate feedback to each student-athlete's academic advisor through an online academic tracking software program.

Campus Connection: C.A.T.S. Academics staff maintains regular communication with a recently-created Student-Athlete Advisor Council. This group meets once each semester to review University procedures, curriculum changes, new NCAA academic legislation and review of student-athlete records to accurately monitor their progress toward graduation.

Objective-Based Study Table/Academic Goal Setting: All first-semester student athletes are assigned to study table for 6-10 hours per week as determined by the coach and C.A.T.S. advisor for each team. Professional staff, mentors, and tutors develop daily and weekly objective-based academic plans. Tutors and mentors provide immediate written feedback to track students' progress in meeting objectives.

Earlier Academic Assessment: Early academic assessment of all incoming student-athletes is administered upon their arrival to campus through the C.A.T.S. Orientation Program. Results of this assessment are used to develop academic plans during their first year on campus.

Academic Recovery Plans:  Academic Recovery Plans were developed for all UA teams below an APR score of 925. In the past two years, the number of teams below 925 has decreased to just one after the 2007-08 reporting year. With the new academic structure in place, the current academic year is projected to yield additional improvement in football to place the program above the 925 cut score.

Psychologist: Arizona Athletics is funding a full-time psychologist to counsel mental health needs for student athletes.

Academic Incentives for Multi-Year Coaching Contracts: The academic bonus structure included in multi-year coaching contracts is being changed as coaches are hired or come up for renewal to reflect accountability to the new APR and Graduation Success Rate standards.