SOUTH BEND, Ind.
University presidents will show how serious they are about academic reform when they decide whether the NCAA should continue to sanction schools that don’t meet classroom performance standards, NCAA President Myles Brand said Monday.
For the first time last May, the governing body issued warning letters to schools based on academic performance. According to Brand, more schools could face warning letters and sanctions this spring if university presidents remain committed to reform.
“Will the presidents be able to stay strong?” Brand said in a speech to faculty members and athletic staff at Notre Dame. “I should tell you that in the past, most academic reform efforts at the NCAA have failed. The fact of the matter is, if the basketball coaches resist these changes they’re not acting irrationally, because in the past they were able to successfully resist changes.”
Brand cited basketball coaches specifically because the sport’s Division I men’s programs had the worst academic performance on the Academic Progress Rate, which measures eligibility and retention of student athletes for every program at every Division I school.
Brand said about 45 percent of Division I schools that have men’s basketball teams are in danger of scoring below 925 on the APR — the equivalent of a 60 percent graduation rate under the NCAA’s formula — and could receive warning letters.
Schools receiving warning letters could face harsher sanctions in upcoming years. A second offense would result in a reduction of practice time or games played. A third offense would result in disqualification from NCAA tournaments.
Brand said the goal isn’t to punish schools, it’s to change their behavior.
