There’s a memory burned into Walter Harrison’s brain. Harrison, the co-chair of the NCAA’s Committee on Academic Progress, recalled a 2003 meeting to hammer out details on the NCAA’s latest academic reform effort. The late Clinton Bristow Jr., then president of Alcorn State University, said something to Harrison that has stayed with him.
“He looked across the table and said, ‘I hope you’re not getting into this to ensnare HBCUs,’” said Harrison, president of the University of Hartford. “I said, ‘Of course not. That’s not my intention at all.’ I have carried that pledge ever since.”
Despite Harrison’s pledge, the NCAA’s comprehensive academic reform measure, the Academic Progress Rate (APR), has—over its six-year existence—consistently meted out penalties to HBCUs at a disproportionate rate for Division I institutions, especially when compared to the elite members of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). This year was no different.
According to data from the NCAA, eight of the 20 schools facing reductions in scholarships, practice time, or both are HBCUs, while none are BCS schools. While no HBCUs faced a post-season ban this year, and the APR showed improvement for all Division I schools, Harrison said there’s clear evidence that problems persist.
Among Division I institutions facing penalties, 14 HBCUs out of 80 schools, or 17.5 percent, were affected in 2009-10. In previous years, 14 out of 107, or 13.1 percent, penalized schools in 2008-09 were HBCUs and 10 out of 106, or 9.4 percent, penalized institutions were HBCUs in 2007-08. Among the 335 institutions counted as Division I institutions in 2009-10, 22, or 6.6 percent, are HBCUs, according to NCAA data.
Low-resource Institutions
Introduced in 2004 as a real-time measure of academic performance, the Academic Progress Rate (APR) is a mathematical calculation based on eligibility and retention of scholarship student-athletes. Any team that scores below 925 (out of a possible 1,000) is subject to penalties, ranging from public notice to bans on post-season play.
