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Northwestern\'s Academic Game Plan

Does your student-athlete academic advisory program make the grade?
Asst Dir of Athletics for Academic and Student Services
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High School Coaches

The foundation for successful college football student-athletes is laid by the high school coach. Whether the player goes on to play college ball or not, the preparation should be much the same.

• Talk about academic performance; make it clear that participation on the football team is a privilege and must be earned both on the field and in the classroom.

• Set academic standards for participation, perhaps higher than those of the school. Apply these standards equally to all, from starters to benchwarmers.

• Verbally and visually reward academic prowess through public praise and posters.

• Encourage them to take challenging classes, thereby preparing them for future academic success.

For those students being recruited by college programs:

• Encourage them to obtain the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete as early as possible

• Help them develop strategies for recruiting visits, such as:

- Always ask about graduation rates, both football and all student-athletes.

- Ask about majors and freedom of choice; ask how many on the team are majoring in your proposed field.

- Talk to players, ask if they would make the same choice of school again.

- Encourage them to be wary of a school whose official visit provides only fun and little or no discussion of their education.

It’s a numbers game. College football coaches live and die by the numbers. Good numbers? Life is golden. Bad numbers? Coach, and perhaps the entire staff, maybe out of a job. And the numbers? It’s the W’s and the L’s, the average weight of the line, the speed in the 40, and the quarterback’s completion ratio. It’s endless numbers. On and on the statistics tell the story and determine careers. There are other numbers, however, that are increasingly creeping into accountability as both coaches and entire programs are judged by administrators, legislators and the public alike.

These highly visible numbers are the NCAA graduation rates that now seem to roll off every tongue when passing judgement upon football programs. Every year, those at the top tout their high numbers as proof of their superiority, while those at the bottom are either silent or rail against the perceived inequality of the data-gathering process.

Those who are familiar with such rates are fully aware that schools receive no credit for student-athletes who transfer in good academic standing and might subsequently graduate from another institution. A compromise rate is partially reflected in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) graduation numbers which take into account those who transfer to other institutions in good academic standing. These rates present an opportunity for some level of redemption for those schools whose NCAA rates have been significantly affected by transfers who simply decide the grass is greener elsewhere.

Northwestern has been in the fortunate position of appearing at or near the top in both NCAA and AFCA football graduation rates for a number of years. Most recently, Northwestern was awarded the 2002 AFCA award for the highest graduation rate (100-percent) for the entering class of 1996-97. In addition, according to the NCAA graduation rates announced on September 26, Northwestern has the highest football graduation rate (85-percent) in Division I.

As all coaches know, such awards are not easily won and would appear to require perhaps more attention to academic details than they have the time or the resources to give. There is no magic formula. On one hand, the programs that work at Northwestern might not travel well to other institutions. On the other hand, since many schools have contacted us to find out what we consider to be the keys to our success, perhaps a short “how to” guide might prove to be of use to coaches feeling the heat of administrators and alumni. Many of these tips, especially for long-time coaches, are common knowledge. These are aimed most specifically at coaches who are new or who are trying to make some changes that might have a positive impact upon academic performance and graduation rates.

1. Philosophy
Any successful program must begin with a simple, yet powerful, underlying statement of purpose. Northwestern football takes its cue from the Northwestern University publication entitled the Presidential Directive on Self-Regulation of Intercollegiate Athletics. The principles set down in this document boil down to the following:

• Northwestern has a responsibility to ensure that all undergraduates feel part of the entire learning community.

• Athletic success is not measured solely by wins and losses but also by the strength of its link to the school’s educational mission.

• The university must provide the support necessary to ensure student-athletes receive equally high-quality experiences in both academics and athletics.

Tip: Work with your athletic director and/or president to develop an institutional athletic mission statement. Recruits and especially their parents will appreciate a clear promise from the top that they will be considered fully-entitled students at that institution.

2. Recruiting
An obvious key to a successful program, recruiting is where it begins. Northwestern recruits on football talent, academic potential and character:

• Northwestern coaches work very hard to get to know the young men they are recruiting. When meeting families, they are seeking not only the right young man for the football program, but also a good institutional fit.

• Official visits are arranged to permit Friday or Monday appointments with academic advisors and faculty members. The value of the education at Northwestern is emphasized; the dual role as both student and athlete is promoted as a positive.

• All unofficial visits, including those for home games, include an academic presentation, either group or individual.

Tips:
Pay closest attention to high school grades and attendance records. Test scores tell part of the story but it is the grades that demonstrate the value the young man places on education. If he doesn’t care enough about school to show up every day and give it his best shot, he isn’t going to suddenly blossom into a serious student in college. Graduation requires determination. Football may also be in his future but it’s the degree that lasts. He needs to hear that from the head coach.

Carefully monitor your recruiting weekends. Arrange individual academic meetings for every recruit, including an appointment with an advisor, a professor and where possible, sitting in on a class. If you show them that college is all fun and games, that’s what they will expect when they come to college. Hard work pays off in football; academic success is no different.

Northwestern Earns 2002 AFCA Academic Achievement Award
(Excerpt from press release from Northwestern University, June 25, 2002)

Evanston, Ill. - Northwestern University’s football program is receiving the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 2002 Academic Achievement Award, which is presented annually by the Touchdown Club of Memphis. NU recorded a 100 percent graduation rate for members of its football squad when all members of its freshman class of 1996-97 earned a degree.

“The real credit for this recognition is two-fold,” said Northwestern Head Football Coach Randy Walker. “One, our student-athletes have made a commitment to excellence in both the classroom and on the playing field. We have a dedicated academic services department and they have a terrific working relationship with our student-athletes.

“Second, Northwestern has never wavered from its mission, and that is to educate and graduate some of the brightest students in the world. We take great pride in this award.”

Northwestern’s win is the second for the school, and it has been honored every year it has been eligible for the award. The Wildcats also earned the honor in 1998 with a 100 percent rate. Northwestern earned honorable mention honors in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Prior to 1998, the award honored only members of the College Football Association.

Since 1998, when the award was expanded to include all Division l-A conferences, Big Ten schools have been honored 23 times, with the Wildcats winning the award twice.


3. Academic Advising
Northwestern’s system of athletic academic advising has historically been different from almost all others. One major difference is that advising is not divided by sport. All advisors work with all teams. In addition, intensive core advising is centered on the freshman year when all efforts are focused on building a strong foundation of individual responsibility so that future years require increasingly less intervention. The students are expected to take charge of their own lives while learning when and where to ask for help when needed:

• All football freshmen are assigned to one of four core advisors for a weekly meeting.

• Advisors check class notes, discuss time management concerns and arrange for additional academic tutoring, if necessary.

• Most freshmen are released from core advising by the end of the freshman year, some sooner.

• Core advising after freshman year can resume at any time at the request of student-athlete, advisor or coach.

• Coaches receive a weekly Excel report, detailing attendance at required meetings and possible academic concerns.

• Serious concerns precipitate immediate phone calls, emails, and meetings.

• No coach is permitted to contact faculty or deans.

Tips: No class checks. Class attendance checking is demeaning to the student-athlete. It removes the responsibility from the student and places it on the program. If necessary, attendance can be verified through checking class notes and occasional advisor contact with faculty.

No coach contact with faculty. At a minimum, coaches should never be in contact with any professor currently teaching players. You gain a tremendous amount of good will with the faculty if they feel free from potential inappropriate pressure.

Talk about classes/academics at least once at every meeting/practice. Although primary responsibility for academics should be handled by advisors, it is vital that coaches continually convey two things to their players: (1), that academics are important enough to talk about every day, and (2), that the coaches are up-to-date with each player’s academic progress.

4. Study Table
At Northwestern, the athletics department office of academic and student services runs all supervised studying, known as the Study Skills Program:

• All freshmen complete a minimum of six hours of required studying per week.

• Students check in and out at the library, Monday through Thursday, 7-10 pm.

• Individual tutoring and graduate student-run study groups are available for all student-athletes, not just freshmen.

• Students assume responsibility for individual study choices in the library.

• Follow-up is covered in weekly core advisor meetings.

• Coaches are freed from any responsibility for supervised studying.

• In weekly Excel reports, advisors include full information regarding attendance.

Tips:
Place all study programs exclusively under athletics academic advising. Coaches’ plates are already over-full; hand off these responsibilities to your academic professionals. (Some schools do not have the luxury of an in-house advising staff; see following tip.)

Move all study programs to the university library. Football players studying with other football players tend to make less than optimal use of their time. Football players studying with other students tend to study. This is one place where you deliver on your promise of full access to a college education. Even if you do not have an athletic advising staff, requiring your players to study in the library can be worked out with a minimum of assistance.

5. Academic Policies
There are additional academic policies at Northwestern that increase the likelihood that football players will approach their studies seriously, and graduate:

• Friday game departures and class schedules are coordinated to minimize missed class time.

• All professors receive individual e-mails from academic services notifying them of missed classes. The e-mail also addresses the student’s responsibility for making up all missed work.

• No required practice is permitted during Reading Week and Finals Week (Exception: Reading Week practice is permitted if preparing for post-season competition.).

• Student-athletes are expected to meet regularly with both athletic advisors and school/major advisors as they plan their courses of study.

• All student-athletes are expected to graduate within four years. This plan results in a number of options open to those who have a fifth year of eligibility, including graduate school.

Tips: Expect graduation within four years. Currently this is the exception in many football programs. If they aim for five years and don’t quite make it, they often walk away without a degree. It can be done in four years; reserve the fifth year for exceptional cases and graduate school.

Consider academic calendars when scheduling practice. Players will appreciate your acknowledgement of their academic demands in possible alterations of practice schedules, however minor those alterations might be.

Bottom line: What it all comes down to, in the end, is a picture of a young man, walking out the door. If he falters and looks back for you, saying “Coach, what do I do now?,” you have failed him. If, however, he has his diploma in one hand, a job in the other and his eyes fixed firmly on the future, you have done your job well.


Bio: Margaret Akerstrom, Assistant Director of Athletics for Academic and Student Services, is entering her sixteenth year of advising student-athletes at Northwestern University. She completed her BA at Kent State University where she was a member of the gymnastics team. Her MAT in elementary education is from Seton Hall University, and her doctorate in educational psychology, from Northwestern University. She is a member of the N4A, the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics, and can be reached at: m-akerstrom@northwestern.edu.






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