Last week, we published our annual "Academic Sweet Sixteen" bracket, which ranks the teams in the NCAA tournament based on their basketball team graduation rates. While it's important to consider how many players leave school with degrees in their hands, there's a significant flaw in the comparison. We have no way to determine whether players who graduated actually learned anything or obtained the skills necessary to enter the workforce.
there is no data on college quality for athletes and very little for college students in general. It's widely known that athletes often cluster in "jock majors," which provide them with classes that demand and teach very little. The goal of many big-time basketball teams is simply to keep their players academically eligible, not to give them an education that will be of value in the future.
But because there is no objective way to track the relative worth of athletes' degrees (and remember, this problems extends to all consumers of higher education), we have to rely on anecdotal evidence.
On the positive side, there are examples of basketball players and teams that excel both on the court and in the classroom. Higher Ed Watch wants to applaud some of these current players, and use them as an example for the teams that place little value on academics. As shocking as this may sound, these athletes show that it is possible to be a highly successful Division I basketball player and graduate with a meaningful degree.
The following players are seniors who will graduate in May, and they have all started games for teams that made the NCAA tournament this year:
* Adam Emmeneker, Drake
Four majors: management, business, finance and entrepreneurial management
3.97 GPA
* Cliff Hammonds, Clemson
Double major: architecture and psychology
3.2 GPA
First scholarship basketball player on record at Clemson to earn a degree in architecture
* A. J. Graves, Butler
Major: Mathematics and Actuarial Science
3.35 GPA
* Justin Hare, Belmont
Major: Exercise Science, Pre-Med
3.86 GPA
Plans to attend medical school
* Sasha Kaun, Kansas
Major: Computer Science
At least 3.2 GPA
"Computer whiz"; participated in an engineering robotic competition
* Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown
Major: Government
Admitted to Georgetown University Law Center
* Ty Rogers, Western Kentucky
Major: Business management, minor in entrepreneurship
3.8 GPA
That's a pretty impressive list. In contrast, consider the University of Memphis men's basketball team this year (most recent graduation rate: 30 percent): Of the six juniors and seniors who have declared majors, three are majoring in "Interdisciplinary Studies," two in "Sport and Leisure Management," and one in "Communication." These don't sound like the most rigorous academic tracks to us.
The broader point, however, is that we don't really know anything about the education that these athletes received. Maybe the Sport and Leisure Management department at Memphis has very high standards and produces students well-prepared to enter a management career upon graduation.
To read more, please visit www.HigherEdWatch.org