Oversight of Intercollegiate Athletics At Western Michigan University

Mission of the Athletic Board The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics at Western Michigan University reports to the Athletic Board. The board is comprised of students, faculty and alumni who are appointed by the president of the university. The university's faculty representative to the NCAA, MAC, CCHA serves as chairperson of the Athletic Board and reports directly to the president’s office, the AAUP and the Faculty Senate in order to assure the appropriate guidelines are being adhere to at Western Michigan University.

Mission of the Athletic Board, cont. The primary purpose of the Athletic Board is to serve as an oversight body assuring institutional commitment to the missions of academics, athletics and student well-being. Student-athletes are particularly encouraged and welcomed to express their concerns about the vitality of the relationship between academics and athletics at WMU. The input of the faculty, staff, and other members of the university community is integral to the Athletics Board; all are encouraged to submit questions or comments to the chair.

Western Michigan University Class Attendance Policy Students are responsible directly to their instructors for class and laboratory attendance, and for petitions to excuse absences.

NCAA Bylaw  No Class Time Missed for Practice Activities No class shall be missed at any time (e.g., regular academic term, mini term, summer term) for practice activities except when a team is traveling to an away- from- home contest and the practice is in conjunction with the contest.

NCAA Interpretation:  No class time shall be missed for practice activities on the day of a home contest unless the student-athlete has reported for the home contest, including associated pregame activities necessary for that day’s home contest.

Academic Progress Rate (APR)  The Academic Progress Rate measures how scholarship student-athletes are performing each semester by analyzing eligibility and retention. It is a composite team measurement based upon how individual team members do academically. Teams that don’t make an APR benchmark of 925 over a four-year rolling period are subject to sanctions.  Western Michigan University had no team below a 950 APR score for the reporting year and will again have no team below that standard when figures are publicly released by the NCAA later this spring.

Graduation Success Rates:  The Graduation Success Rate, similar to the Federal Graduation Rate, starts with all freshmen who enter college in a given year. This rate varies from the federal rate in that it excludes those student-athletes who leave the institution in good academic standing and includes those who transfer into the institution.  The most recent graduation rate figures released by the NCAA are for the entering class of The four-year rate for the entering classes of 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003, show a student-athlete graduation success rate of 79%. No campus student body rate is computed as a comparison. For all Division I institutions, the graduation success rate is also 79%.

Federal Graduation Rates:  The Federal Graduation Rate is compiled by the U.S. Department of Education and is used as an indicator of academic success for college student-athletes. It measures the percentage of first-time, full-time freshman who graduate within six years of entering their original four-year institution.  The most recent graduation rate figures released by the NCAA are for the entering class of The four-year rate for the entering classes of 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 show a student-athlete rate of 68% and a student body rate of 54%.

Current Athletes:

Ethnicity

College of Enrollment

Ten Most Common Majors of Upper class (Junior/ Senior) Student- Athletes:  Accountancy  Biomedical Science/ Biology  Criminal Justice  Early Childhood Education  Exercise Science  Management  Marketing  Organizational Communication  Psychology  Recreation

WMU a Division I Institution  Legislators refer to NCAA division status when referring to the size and prestige of universities; as do students and fans.  There are many Division II & III institutions clamoring to become Division I and are currently going through the approval process. They strive for DI status so they can generate revenue for athletics through the playing guarantees in football and NCAA and NIT basketball tournament revenues.  DII programs have virtually identical athletic related expenses as DI institutions but without the revenue.  When the public, administrators, etc. define “comparable universities” they always mention the conference. The MAC is seen as institutions that are virtually identical. The MAC is far more prestigious than the GLIAC (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference).  We have found that a significant population of our students wouldn’t have chosen WMU if it were not a DI institution. They would have gone to MSU or CMU.  Your alumni would not be happy nor would the academic program donors.