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Northwestern\'s Academic Game PlanDoes your student-athlete academic advisory program make the grade? Asst Dir of Athletics for Academic and Student Services© More from this issue
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.
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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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