71YellowJacket
Damn Good Rat
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2002
- Messages
- 1,262
Dr. Clough\'s response
I have decided to share this with the stingtalk community because the issue is a Tech community one and the response reveals the administrations overall direction and view of this issue. So without any personal opinion or comment here is the letter I received today from Dr. Clough:
Your concern over the recent academic struggles of certain members of our football team is understandable. When any student is dismissed, it is the concern of everyone at Georgia Tech. Of course, you understand that these student-athletes are by no means the only Tech students to endure that fate, but that does not lessen the sting of recent news coverage.
It is important not to lose sight of the big picture, most notably that of our nearly 300 scholarship student athletes, the vast majority are effectively balancing their academic responsibilities and their athletics commitments. And I'm not speaking only of the Olympic sports. Unfortunately, the focus on these 10 football players has overshadowed the many exemplary student-athletes that we have, including the 16 football players who earned Faculty Honors or Dean's List recognition last semester.
We have worked very hard over the last several years to improve our graduation rates, for student-athletes and for the general student population, and both have shown improvements. Our next reported graduation rate for student-athletes and for football in particular will be the highest that it has ever been, proof that our efforts are bearing fruit.
Every negative situation presents an opportunity to derive some positive result. This particular incident represents a setback that will ultimately help us do a more effective job in our academic support programs. We are actively working to address the issues that arose and are confident in the Georgia Tech “can do” tradition, we will find the best approach. In the long term, we are positioning our student-athletes to comply with upcoming stricter NCAA academic regulations regarding progress to graduation.
Because of my role on the NCAA Board of Directors, I am very well acquainted with the stricter academic requirements, which will present new challenges for everyone in college athletics, especially in the beginning. The term-by-term management of student-athlete eligibility that is already in place at Georgia Tech, unlike most other institutions, places us in better position with regard to the upcoming standards.
Sincerely,
Wayne Clough
President
I have decided to share this with the stingtalk community because the issue is a Tech community one and the response reveals the administrations overall direction and view of this issue. So without any personal opinion or comment here is the letter I received today from Dr. Clough:
Your concern over the recent academic struggles of certain members of our football team is understandable. When any student is dismissed, it is the concern of everyone at Georgia Tech. Of course, you understand that these student-athletes are by no means the only Tech students to endure that fate, but that does not lessen the sting of recent news coverage.
It is important not to lose sight of the big picture, most notably that of our nearly 300 scholarship student athletes, the vast majority are effectively balancing their academic responsibilities and their athletics commitments. And I'm not speaking only of the Olympic sports. Unfortunately, the focus on these 10 football players has overshadowed the many exemplary student-athletes that we have, including the 16 football players who earned Faculty Honors or Dean's List recognition last semester.
We have worked very hard over the last several years to improve our graduation rates, for student-athletes and for the general student population, and both have shown improvements. Our next reported graduation rate for student-athletes and for football in particular will be the highest that it has ever been, proof that our efforts are bearing fruit.
Every negative situation presents an opportunity to derive some positive result. This particular incident represents a setback that will ultimately help us do a more effective job in our academic support programs. We are actively working to address the issues that arose and are confident in the Georgia Tech “can do” tradition, we will find the best approach. In the long term, we are positioning our student-athletes to comply with upcoming stricter NCAA academic regulations regarding progress to graduation.
Because of my role on the NCAA Board of Directors, I am very well acquainted with the stricter academic requirements, which will present new challenges for everyone in college athletics, especially in the beginning. The term-by-term management of student-athlete eligibility that is already in place at Georgia Tech, unlike most other institutions, places us in better position with regard to the upcoming standards.
Sincerely,
Wayne Clough
President
