National Collegiate Athletic Association
NCAA News Archive - 2007
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Comment - Reform is a contractual commitment
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By Michael Martin
New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University
Upon his arrival at New Mexico State University, Athletics Director McKinley Boston put in place a five-year strategic plan that would serve as the blueprint in guiding New Mexico State University in achieving its academic and athletics goals.
One of the more critical components to address was the mandate set by the NCAA to improve the overall academic profile and graduation rate of student-athletes known as APR (Academic Performance Rate). As a result, I selected a committee to create an academic blueprint for student-athletes’ specific academic goals and work plans to achieve these goals.
For New Mexico State, this process involved collaboration with various constituents (Athletic Academic Support Programs and Services Center, athletics compliance office, the faculty athletics representative, and other athletics staff members) to research and develop the overall academic well-being of student-athletes. This collaborative process resulted in a document called the Academic Improvement Plan. The plan outlines specific goals, objectives, timelines and accountability to track progress in improving the APR for each NMSU athletics team under the required APR minimum score of 925.
This five-year strategic plan was adopted by the NMSU Board of Regents and shared with campus stakeholders and the academic community to help build greater synergy across campus and the Las Cruces community.
A key aspect of the plan was to establish a culture in which coaches were more involved in helping achieve these goals. Thus, a meritorious base reward program was put in place to enhance the overall participation of each coach’s respective student-athletes, particularly those teams that are below the 925 APR standard. Their roles as head and assistant coaches, for example, are to better monitor their players’ overall academic engagement and responsibilities (class attendance, study hall, tutoring and mentoring sessions) to achieve the minimum APR goal. This effort is done in collaboration with the Academic Support and Services Center.
Further, we have established student-athlete academic captains for each respective position in football. The academic captains provide an update daily, or as information comes in, to their respective peers, particularly about missed classes, study hall hours, tutoring and mentoring sessions. That information is derived from our A+ Aggie Program, which teaches and promotes lifelong educational and personal life skills for selected groups of student-athletes who have entered NMSU with marginal academic portfolios. Personalized attention is given to each student through student development specialists, academic mentors and tutors, and academic advisers, and our Early Warning Academic System (a biweekly e-mail request to selected professors and instructors that provides us with information on class attendance, participation, attitude test scores, and papers).
Coaches who improve their respective academic status will receive incentives such as a one-time bonus, coach/spouse sponsored trip, and guaranteed cost-of-living adjustment increase.
Michael Martin is president of New Mexico State University.
One of the more critical components to address was the mandate set by the NCAA to improve the overall academic profile and graduation rate of student-athletes known as APR (Academic Performance Rate). As a result, I selected a committee to create an academic blueprint for student-athletes’ specific academic goals and work plans to achieve these goals.
For New Mexico State, this process involved collaboration with various constituents (Athletic Academic Support Programs and Services Center, athletics compliance office, the faculty athletics representative, and other athletics staff members) to research and develop the overall academic well-being of student-athletes. This collaborative process resulted in a document called the Academic Improvement Plan. The plan outlines specific goals, objectives, timelines and accountability to track progress in improving the APR for each NMSU athletics team under the required APR minimum score of 925.
This five-year strategic plan was adopted by the NMSU Board of Regents and shared with campus stakeholders and the academic community to help build greater synergy across campus and the Las Cruces community.
A key aspect of the plan was to establish a culture in which coaches were more involved in helping achieve these goals. Thus, a meritorious base reward program was put in place to enhance the overall participation of each coach’s respective student-athletes, particularly those teams that are below the 925 APR standard. Their roles as head and assistant coaches, for example, are to better monitor their players’ overall academic engagement and responsibilities (class attendance, study hall, tutoring and mentoring sessions) to achieve the minimum APR goal. This effort is done in collaboration with the Academic Support and Services Center.
Further, we have established student-athlete academic captains for each respective position in football. The academic captains provide an update daily, or as information comes in, to their respective peers, particularly about missed classes, study hall hours, tutoring and mentoring sessions. That information is derived from our A+ Aggie Program, which teaches and promotes lifelong educational and personal life skills for selected groups of student-athletes who have entered NMSU with marginal academic portfolios. Personalized attention is given to each student through student development specialists, academic mentors and tutors, and academic advisers, and our Early Warning Academic System (a biweekly e-mail request to selected professors and instructors that provides us with information on class attendance, participation, attitude test scores, and papers).
Coaches who improve their respective academic status will receive incentives such as a one-time bonus, coach/spouse sponsored trip, and guaranteed cost-of-living adjustment increase.
Michael Martin is president of New Mexico State University.
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