NCAA Division I Academic Governance Update: Enhancing Student-Athlete Performance

2. Division I Academic Governance Update

3. Overview • The State of Graduation. • Holistic Review of the NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate. • Student-Athlete Degree Completion. • Comprehensive Review of Postgraduate Student-Athletes. • NCAA Division I Committee on Academics Strategic Priorities. • Open Forum.

4. Comparison of GSR from Graduation Cohorts • Comparison of GSRs from entering classes of 1995 and 2011.

5. Holistic Review of APR • Endorsed by the Board of Directors. • The Subcommittee on Data was tasked with the preliminary review. • The subcommittee is presenting the topics for discussion by the full committee.

6. APR Trends • Single Year Rates

7. Holistic Review of APR • Endorsed by the NCAA Board of Directors. • The NCAA Division I Committee on Academics Subcommittee on Data was tasked with the preliminary review. • The subcommittee is presenting the topics for discussion by the full committee.

8. Academic Performance ProgramGuiding Principles • All Division I athletics programs and sports teams should be subject to the penalty and rewards structure.   • The APP should encourage continuous and meaningful improvement for academically underperforming teams.   • The APP must appropriately penalize those programs that have demonstrated a history of academic underachievement.   • The implementation of the APP should recognize the diversity of institutional missions and characteristics among NCAA member institutions. 

9. Academic Performance Program Guiding Principles (cont.) • The integrity of the rates of measure within the APP must be maintained.  • The APP must be fair and equitable.  • The APP should be as straightforward and understandable as possible. 

10. Academic Performance Program Topics to be Reviewed  • Accounting for transfer (and the 2.60 adjustment). • Penalty structure and filters. • Public recognition. • Head coaches APR. • Other topics identified by the Committee on Academics Subcommittee on Data. • APR cohort composition. • Post-grads in APR. • Adjustment for pro sports departure. • Delayed graduation points. • Components and calculation of APR.

11. APR Cohort Composition • Are the students being included in the APR cohort a true representation of the academic success of their teams? • Should recruited athletes generally be included in APR, regardless of aid? • Are some schools/conferences benefiting from (or harmed by) the current cohort inclusion rules?

12. APR Cohort Composition (cont.) • Maintain the current definitions for both APR and GSR cohorts. • Adopt a cohort definition that includes recruited and aided student-athletes on all teams for either the APR or the GSR or both. • Adopt a cohort definition that includes all student-athletes counted in the participation report for either the APR or the GSR or both. • Require that teams currently using the “aided” cohort definition award a specified minimum amount of aid.

13. APR and Post-Graduate Students  • On several occasions since the start of the APR program, COA/CAP has been asked whether post-graduate students should be included in APR calculations. • The majority consensus on each examination has been that any student competing in Division I athletics should be held accountable for their academic performance and progress. • Prior research indicated that although academic outcomes of post-graduates are sometimes poor (esp. among graduate transfers in football and men’s basketball), most teams currently benefit from post-graduate inclusion in their APR calculation. 

14. APR and Post-Graduate Students (cont.) • Student-athlete must be retained to earn retention point. • Strongest APR implications for graduate/post-baccalaureate student-athletes; • Overall change to national APR distribution expected to be small. 2/2 R E

15. APR and Post-Graduate Students (con’t) • Retention point not part of APR calculation for post-grads. • Smallest APR impact for graduate/postbaccalaureate student-athletes; • Overall change to national APR distribution expected to be minimal. E 1/1

16. APR and Post-Graduate Students (cont.) • Retention moved from APR for postgraduate SAs pursuing undergrad or nondegree-seeking but must be earned if in degree-seeking graduate program. Postgraduate Degree-Seeking Graduate • Potential APR impact for graduate/post-baccalaureate student-athletes falls somewhere between that of Option No. 1 and Option No. 2; • Overall change to national APR distribution expected to be minimal. E 1/1 E 2/2 R

17. Next Steps  • Committee on Academics to determine what, if any, recommendations to put forward. • Options will be presented as a package to the membership for feedback.

18. Post graduate student-athletes

19. Guiding Principles The following guiding principles were reviewed by the Division I Board of Directors, NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and NCAA Division I Council at the 2019 NCAA Convention meetings: • There should continue to be academic expectations for all postgraduate student-athletes (e.g., pass six hours per term of degree-applicable credit and remain in good academic standing);  • All student-athletes should have access to academic educational options that best align with their interests, qualifications and future career, in addition to better preparing student-athletes for transitioning into life after college; and • There should be flexibility in academic paths for all postgraduate student-athletes to pursue after successfully completing an undergraduate degree.

20. Existing Academic Enrollment Requirements Student-athletes with remaining athletics eligibility (and time on their five-year clock) may continue to participate in intercollegiate athletics provided they pursue one of the following academic avenues. • Full-time post baccalaureate studies: • Enrolled in second baccalaureate degree, major or minor, or • Enrolled in general coursework towards any degree program. • Full-time graduate studies: • Enrolled in general graduate work (e.g., nondegree-seeking), or • Enrolled in graduate degree program (e.g., degree-seeking). • NCAA Division I Bylaw 14.6 Undergraduate Institution Transfer Institution • Full-time graduate studies: • Enrolled in graduate degree program (e.g., degree-seeking). • Division I Bylaw 14.6.1

21. Changes in the Number of Division I Graduate Transfers (Men’s Sports, 2011-17) Men’s Football

22. Percentage of Division I Graduate Transfers in APR Cohort(Men’s Sports, 2016-17 APR Cohort)

23. Changes in the Number of Division I Graduate Transfers (Women’s Sports, 2011-17) All Other Women’s Sports Women’s Track and Field Women’s Basketball

24. Percentage of Division I Graduate Transfers in APR Cohort(Women’s Sports, 2016-17 APR Cohort)

25. Academic Outcomes for Graduate Students Remaining at Their Undergraduate Institution Note: Degree completion status after at least four semesters for 2015-16 and 2016-17 cohorts (assessed December 2018).

26. Academic Outcomes for Graduate Transfers by Sport Note: Program completion status after at least four semesters for 2015-16 and 2016-17 cohorts (assessed December 2018).

27. 2018-19 Legislative Cycle • The Committee on Academics Transfer Working Group proposed legislation to require football and basketball graduate transfers to be treated as counters for two years, unless graduate degree completed in one year. • Status: Proposal slated for April Council vote. • Sun Belt Conference proposed legislation to eliminate legislative academic enrollment distinction for graduate transfers. • Status: Conference withdrew proposal from 2018-19 legislative cycle and referred review of proposed concept to Committee on Academics.

28. Student-athlete degree completion -- Men’s and Women’s Basketball

29. Men’s and Women’s Basketball Student-Athlete Degree Completion • In August 2018, Board of Directors adopted legislation to require institutions to provide degree completion funding to former men’s and women’s basketball players and established a fund for limited resource institutions to fund degree completion. • The Committee on Academics is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the program and development of the fund. • Operational issues related to program implementation and activation have been developed and reviewed. • Application for limited resource institutions and toolkit for the entire membership to assist with implementation has being created.

30. DIVISION I MEN’S and Women’s Basketball Degree Completion Assistance

31. DIVISION I MEN’S and Women’s Basketball Degree Completion Assistance (cont.)

32. DIVISION I MEN’S and Women’s Basketball Degree Completion Assistance (cont.)

33. Guiding Principles • Process to apply for degree completion assistance should be simple for returning student-athlete. • Individual plans and strategies should be developed for each student-athlete to ensure readiness and commitment to degree progress and completion. • Program’s implementation and maintenance should not create overly burdensome workload for member institutions. • Accountability measures for continued funding should be in place to ensure funds are given to students committed to process of degree completion. • Participants should make meaningful progress toward degree completion in an efficient manner while recognizing all returning students are nontraditional students and have other factors impacting enrollment. • Data should be collected to determine the program’s success, identify trends and to enhance the program in the future. • Ultimately, funding should be available to all former Division I student-athletes meeting the specified legislated criteria.

34. Former Student-Athlete Degree Achievement Fund • Institutions defined as Limited Resource Institutions (LRI) within the past five years are eligible for funding for fall 2019, spring 2020, summer 2020. • Application period for fall 2019 funding: April 1 through June 3, 2019. • Applications can be accessed through Program Hub. • Institutions required to nominate eligible former student-athletes. • Former student-athlete required to submit completed application.

35. Toolkit – Phase 1

36. Committee on academics Strategic priorities

37. Primacy of Academics in Intercollegiate Athletics • Academically at risk student-athletes.  • National and local achievement and metrics.  • Academic outcomes of Accelerating Academic Success Program.  • Modernization of legislation.  • Academic Summit. • Men’s and Women’s basketball degree completion.  • Academic-based revenue distribution. • Comprehensive review of the APR. • Initial-eligibility standards. • Post graduate academic enrollment. 

38. Academic Summit  Goals: • Collaborative partnership with external organizations.  • Identification of trends and issues.  • Impact on future strategic initiatives. 

39. Academic Summit (cont.) • Institutional Leadership • President/Athletics Director/Provost triad. • Topics  • Measuring academic success; and • Student-athlete engagement and learning beyond classroom walls.  • Slated for 2020.

40. Bylaw Modernization   • Where are we now?  • Bylaw 14 refresh.  • Legislative concepts.

41. Bylaw14Modernization (cont.) Work completed so far: 40% Identified 39% Rewritten 100% Reviewed Substantial Review Language Refresh Interpretations

42. Open Forum  • What’s on your mind?? 

43. Questions?

44. We Want Your Feedback Your input is important. Rate this session using the survey on the Regional Rules Seminar app.