The first NCAA Division I national average Academic Progress Rate (APR) data were made public February 28, and all of us at UNC Wilmington are glowing with pride. Of the 17 Division I members in North Carolina, UNC Wilmington is tied for second in average APR behind Duke University. And in our conference, the Colonial Athletic Association, UNC Wilmington ranks second behind the College of William and Mary. I'm pleased that UNC Wilmington is in extremely good company in our conference, as well as when matched with the ACC.

Historically, UNC Wilmington has focused on preparing student-athletes for success after athletics, and this first APR report validates that we remain on the right track. As one who cares deeply about athletics and the school spirit and healthy competi tion engendered by collegiate athletics, I commend the NCAA for developing this new scorecard. It provides a quick method to assess a college's values and ties athletics competition to its athletes' performance. It also carries penalties in the form of scholarship losses if academic performance is poor.

I was one of the NCAA chief executive officers who enthusiastically supported this new accountability measure. I am pleased that other college and university presidents and chancellors have recognized that we must get our values in proper perspective when it comes to athletics, and recognize that winning is important, but academic success comes first.

UNC Wilmington is proof that you can achieve both. We've produced many championship teams in a variety of sports each year. In fact, our men's swimming team just won the CAA championship for the fourth consecutive year. This good news about academic progress for UNC Wilmington athletes combined with our success on the playing fields ensures that our student-athletes continue to excel, graduate and become productive citizen leaders. At UNC Wilmington, that's the winning combination of academics and athletics.

I commend the NCAA for taking this step in the right direction.

Rosemary DePaolo is chancellor of the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.