Schooled: The Price of College Sports
When asked about Grand Valley State University's student athletes and their educations the athletic director, Tim Selgo explained..
"Yes, at GVSU, our student-athletes are truly STUDENT-athletes, i.e. academics come first. We believe we offer athletic programs that provide balance in their lives. Yes, this is a high level of athletics and yes they must be dedicated to their sport. However, in our scheduling of practices and games, we do everything possible to ensure a minimum of missed class time and provide every opportunity we can for our student-athletes to succeed in the classroom. Over 60% of our student-athletes consistently achieve a 3.0 GPA or better and our student-athletes have consistently graduated at a higher rate than the student body. 99.9% of our student-athletes will never have a chance to compete and earn a living in professional sports, so our #1 goal is to “provide the best possible learning environment for them to obtain their degree and prepare them for the rest of their lives”. That goal is consistent with GVSU’s mission which is “to educate our students to shape their lives, their professions, and their societies”. "
"Yes, at GVSU, our student-athletes are truly STUDENT-athletes, i.e. academics come first. We believe we offer athletic programs that provide balance in their lives. Yes, this is a high level of athletics and yes they must be dedicated to their sport. However, in our scheduling of practices and games, we do everything possible to ensure a minimum of missed class time and provide every opportunity we can for our student-athletes to succeed in the classroom. Over 60% of our student-athletes consistently achieve a 3.0 GPA or better and our student-athletes have consistently graduated at a higher rate than the student body. 99.9% of our student-athletes will never have a chance to compete and earn a living in professional sports, so our #1 goal is to “provide the best possible learning environment for them to obtain their degree and prepare them for the rest of their lives”. That goal is consistent with GVSU’s mission which is “to educate our students to shape their lives, their professions, and their societies”. "