July 27, 2001

Lehigh University has been named an inaugural winner of the USA Today-NCAA Foundation Academic Achievement Award for success in leadership graduation rates. Lehigh's student-athlete graduation rate of 94% for the 1994-2000 period is the best among all 302 NCAA Division I institutions. The announcement was made on Friday, July 27, 2001 in an exclusive announcement in USA Today.

"This is an outstanding distinction that is truly reflective of our commitment to achieve success on the playing field and in the classroom," said University President Gregory C. Farrington. "This recognition is one that we can truly celebrate across all areas of our campus and that is representative of the efforts of our combined faculty, staff, coaches and mentors who have provided the necessary guidance and support to our athletes."

Lehigh's tradition of athletics success, including recent NCAA Championship appearances in wrestling, football, men's soccer and softball during the 2000-2001 year, has not come at the expense of the academic success of its student athletes. Lehigh has remained committed to balancing involvement in its athletic programs with academic achievement to prepare student athletes for successful lives long after they graduate. As a result, Lehigh's ranking has been in the top 20 in graduation rate for eight years, or essentially since the NCAA has made these rates available, and in the top 10 for the past five years.

"Our graduation rates don't fluctuate much because, frankly, they shouldn't," said Lehigh Director of Athletics Joe Sterrett. "A high graduation rate once every 10 years would indicate that an institution had stumbled upon a particularly successful crop of students. At Lehigh, we attract and retain student athletes who are committed to achieving in the classroom and in the competitive arena. They graduate because that is what they came here to do."

As part of the award, Lehigh will be honored with eight other schools receiving recognition during a banquet in September and will receive a $25,000 institutional scholarship from USA Today through the NCAA Foundation.

The NCAA graduation rates measure the number of student athletes who enter an institution and graduate within the NCAA allowable period of six years. This year's rate measured student athletes who enrolled in the 1994-95 academic year and earned degrees by August 2000, six years later. If a student athlete transfers to another institution, the student-athlete is counted against an institution's graduation rate total. As such, it is important to note that of the more than 600 student athletes who exhausted their athletics eligibility at Lehigh, 99% of these students graduated.

During this same period, or since 1994, Lehigh has won 22 Patriot League championships and has seen 59 student athletes earn All-America honors and 24 student athletes earn Academic All-America laurels.

"I'm proud to honor the Lehigh student athletes past and present who have helped dispel the myth that student-athletes must be either student or athlete," said Farrington. "At Lehigh, they are simply successful."

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USA Today Story of July 27, 2001 Awards recognize high athlete graduation rates By Jack Carey, USA TODAY

Student-athlete graduation rates Division I Lehigh 94% Hofstra 92% Northwestern 90% Duke 90% Colgate 89% Davidson 88% Valparaiso 88% Georgetown 87% Stanford 86% Bucknell 86%

While student-athlete graduation rates continue to come under fire, some schools are graduating the vast majority of their athletes -- and at a rate much higher than the general student population.

The first USA TODAY/NCAA Foundation Academic Achievement Awards recognize these schools for their high student-athlete graduation rates in three categories:

-- Overall student-athlete grad rates.

-- The difference between graduating athletes and the general student population.

-- Improvement from the previously-reported rate.

Patriot League charter member LEHIGH UNIVERSITY was ranked No. 1 among all NCAA Division I institutions. The Bethlehem institution graduates 94% of its student-athletes.

Additionally, Patriot League members COLGATE UNIVERSITY(#5), GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY(football member, ranked #8), BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY(#10) were ranked among the Top 10 and newcomer AMERICAN UNIVERSITY was ranked second among institutions that have shown the most improvement in student-athlete graduation rate (29%).

"Our university has always recognized the concept of the student-athlete," said Hofstra athletic director Harry Royle, whose school finished first or second in all three Division I categories. "We refer to our athletic program as a second major."

The NCAA survey includes athletes who were freshmen in the 1994-95 school year. They had six years to earn their diplomas. New graduation rates for all NCAA institutions will not be available for a month, but the data is complete enough to determine the highest-achieving programs.

Schools from all three NCAA divisions are recognized. Category winners receive $25,000 and a trophy. No. 1 in overall graduation rate were Lehigh (Division I), Southern New Hampshire (Division II) and St. Joseph of Connecticut (Division III).

Among schools that play I-A football, Northwestern and Duke were the highest in overall grad rate (90%).

The NCAA Foundation was created in 1988 to generate funds in support of programs that enhance the development and welfare of intercollegiate student-athletes. The programs help student-athletes achieve success in academics and athletics.

"We think the timing right now, with college football team camps set to open in about a month, is apropos," says Charles Farrell of the New York-based Rainbow Sports, a division of Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. "Generally, we go into this in hindsight, bemoaning the lack of black coaches being hired after the fact.

"We don't view this as antagonistic. We just want to explore what's going on and what the options are on both sides."

The NCAA's Dempsey has been outspoken about the need for more minorities on the sidelines. But outside of education, he says there's little more he and a national association can do about personnel decisions made on individual campuses.

The school presidents and chancellors who sit on the NCAA's Executive Committee and Board of Directors might discuss the issue next month when they meet in Indianapolis, hoping "to get people to really pay attention to it," Boggan says.

"We think the timing right now, with college football team camps set to open in about a month, is apropos," says Charles Farrell of the New York-based Rainbow Sports, a division of Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. "Generally, we go into this in hindsight, bemoaning the lack of black coaches being hired after the fact.

"We don't view this as antagonistic. We just want to explore what's going on and what the options are on both sides."

The NCAA's Dempsey has been outspoken about the need for more minorities on the sidelines. But outside of education, he says there's little more he and a national association can do about personnel decisions made on individual campuses.

The school presidents and chancellors who sit on the NCAA's Executive Committee and Board of Directors might discuss the issue next month when they meet in Indianapolis, hoping "to get people to really pay attention to it," Boggan says.