Fresno State Athletics
Graduation Rates Steadily Improving
10/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | General
Oct. 25, 2011
FRESNO, Calif. - The first footsteps by an incoming student-athlete on campus come with the goal of earning a degree, which takes hard work and perseverance to accomplish in a short period of time.
At Fresno State, graduation is its top priority for all student-athletes and reached a record 57 percent for those who joined the Bulldog family during the 2004-05 academic year - the latest available figure released by the NCAA on Tuesday.
"Our coaches have been working hard to bring in student-athletes who will graduate and following through with ongoing communication," said Dr. Susan Gutkind, Fresno State's Assistant Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Services.
At 57 percent, the record-setting six-year federal graduation rate is six percentage points higher than the 51 percent by the general Fresno State student body for the same time period. It also far surpassed the previous four years by Bulldog student-athletes, improving from 50 percent for 2003-04, 45 percent for 2002-03, 49 percent for 2001-02 and 51 percent for 2000-01.
The six-year federal graduation rate is the percentage of all student-athletes receiving athletics aid, who enter during an academic year and graduate within the six-year window.
The surge was propelled in large part due to the Fresno State football program's back-to-back solid performances of 85 percent (2004-05) and 89 percent (2003-04).
Additionally, 10 of the 14 applicable sport programs graduated 50 percent or more of their student-athletes that enrolled at Fresno State starting in the 2004-05 academic year by August 2010. Of note, seven of the eight women's sports teams surpassed the 50 percent benchmark.
Gutkind also praised the work of the student-athletes, advisors and the campus community for fostering a positive environment for academic success. She emphasized the power of advising, mentoring and connecting sophomore students within their majors.
"Our student-athletes have made their education a priority and that is something we value," Gutkind noted. "Every day, our advisors are tirelessly mentoring our student-athletes to ensure they stay on track to graduate. The campus has been increasing support and resources to improve overall student graduation rates, and our student-athletes tap into that as well. It all helps."
With this accomplishment as a new standard to build on for the future, Gutkind is keeping her focus on providing all Bulldog student-athletes with the inspiration and tools to earn their degrees.
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