University of Connecticut Athletics
Football Team Honored By AFCA For Graduation Rate
12/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 15, 2009
WACO, Texas - The University of Connecticut football program was honored by the American Football Coaches Association for its outstanding graduation rate. The Huskies were one of 11 programs nationally that graduated student-athletes at a rate of 90 percent or better for the freshmen student-athlete class enrolling in 2002, which this year's awards were based on. UConn was the only BIG EAST program in that group of 11 and just one of four public institutions.
UConn has now been honored by the AFCA in their program in five of the past seven years and for three-straight.
This year's award marks the second time the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate (GSR) formula has been used to select the winner. From 1981 to 2007 the award was presented based on a formula used by the College Football Association and AFCA.
The Academic Achievement Award was established by the College Football Association in 1981. The award recognized the CFA-member Football Bowl Subdivision institution with the highest graduation rate among members of its football team. When the CFA disbanded in 1997 the AFCA stepped in to present the award and conduct a graduation rate survey that encompassed all members of the FBS.
The GSR is based on a six-year graduation window for student-athletes which is a change from the five-year window used by the CFA and AFCA. The GSR was developed by the NCAA as part of its academic reform initiative to more accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes. The GSR holds institutions accountable for transfer students, unlike the federal graduation rate. The GSR also accounts for midyear enrollees.
Under GSR calculation, institutions are not penalized for outgoing transfer students who leave in good academic standing. These outgoing transfers are passed to the receiving institution's GSR cohort. By counting incoming transfer students and midyear enrollees, the GSR increases the total number of student-athletes tracked for graduation by more than 37 percent. The NCAA also calculates the federal graduation rate for student-athletes because it is the only rate by which to compare student-athletes to the general student body.
Notre Dame and the University of Miami will share the American Football Coaches Association's 2009 Academic Achievement Award, which is presented by the Touchdown Club of Memphis. Along with Notre Dame and Miami, nine institutions, including Connecticut, were recognized for graduating its student-athletes at a 90 percent or better rate. The other institutions included -- Alabama, Boston College, Duke, Navy, Northwestern, Penn State, Rice and Southern Mississippi.
