Dear campus community,
Recently, you may have heard news about the "bowl ban" placed on University of Akron Football. I am writing to address concerns about this, to provide a brief explanation and to assure the community that an action plan is in place to monitor the continuous academic improvement of the football program.
As president, I want to ensure the campus that we prioritize the academic performance of our entire student body and likewise champion the learning of all student-athletes. Failing to do so would simply be unacceptable.
As an extra check, the classroom performance of all UA Athletics teams is assessed by the NCAA to ensure balanced priorities in sport and in academics. Annually, each athletics team receives an Academic Progress Rate (APR) score. For the overwhelming majority of UA sports, our student-athletes meet or far exceed expectations. In fact, during the most recent four-year evaluation period, teams achieved a perfect APR score of 1,000, twenty-five times.
Unfortunately, during the 2021-2022 academic year, with a coaching change and necessary roster adjustments, UA Football's APR dipped to an outlier score that irreparably damaged the four-year average for the most recent review period. While the team has dramatically improved its academic performance since AY 2021-2022, the aggregated score has led to the mandatory imposition of the bowl ban.
As he enters as Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Dr. Andrew Goodrich is aware of this situation and will immediately prioritize the academic performance of UA Football, while continuing to maintain the high standards set by the rest of the teams that have achieved adequate in-class performance. In most cases, our student-athletes excel in both of their roles. Nevertheless, Dr. Goodrich values academics and is committed to guiding the football program toward higher academic achievement.
With the publication of this information earlier this week, including UA Football's averaged APR score, word quickly spread. I thank the UA community for the concern expressed over this situation and assure you that the administration is committed to implementing a sustained solution.
Sincerely,
President R.J. Nemer
The University of Akron