The Institutional Factors that Affect the Academic and Financial Success of Mid-American Conference Schools

Athletic departments and institutions are spending an increasing amount of money on athletics. They believe that increasing spending will meet their mission to improve student-athletes’ academic success. However, the question arises, is the money being spent on athletics actually contributing to that goal? Secondary data was correlated to find the relationship between the institutional, academic, and financial factors. The results of this study found that the majority of these relationships were not significant meaning that these factors are not working together to meet that mission. Therefore, those institutions who participate in the athletic department arms races will not see an increase in quality of academics. Document Type Undergraduate Project Professor's Name Dr. Dane-Staples Subject Categories Sports Management This undergraduate project is available at Fisher Digital Publications: https://fisherpub.sjfc. edu/sport_undergrad/120 Running Head: INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS 1 The Institutional Factors that Affect the Academic and Financial Success of Mid-American Conference Schools McKayla Johnson St. John Fisher College INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS 2 The Institutional Factors that Affect the Academic and Financial Success of Mid-American Conference Schools Once students have entered an institution of higher education, they may have a variety of expectations. Some are hoping to embrace their education and come out with a degree that will help them achieve long term success. Some are hoping that their personal growth and transformation during this time will lead to fulfillment of personal and professional goals. Those that participate in athletics have additional expectations and may have different priorities than non-athletes. The ability for institutions to effectively deliver on this variety of expectations is difficult. Therefore, depending on the studentathlete’s goals and priorities it is important to know if and how the institution and athletic program will meet an individual’s specific needs. Aside from the athletic program which is often the first thought of a student-athlete, these individuals should to take into consideration the institutional factors, such as the culture and the majors offered, as well as their own focus on academics, and the use of student’s financial resources when choosing an institution. Those areas should be the same focuses for institutions and athletic departments: to provide the student-athletes the opportunity for academic excellence through the responsible use of financial resources. However, this is not always the case and not all of these parts of the college experience have been focused on equally. Past research has attempted to uncover an institution’s ability to effectively meet institutional or athletic demands, but has not attempted to explore both demands together. This research sought to fill this gap in information. This new knowledge will help college students and their families make educated decisions about which schools they choose and what they expect to get out of their college experience. If a student-athlete wants to be able to continue to participate in their sport while earning a quality education, they need to know if the institution’s goals, standards, and spending tendencies are actually being utilized in a way that will lead to academic success. If the student-athlete wants to win a championship and be surrounded by the best players the department can recruit, that would also require the student-athlete to see how financial resources are being used to meet those goals. By having this knowledge, a student-athlete will be able to INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS 3 come in prepared with knowledge to know what will fit their needs instead of being told by a coach that the institution is a perfect fit. What a coach or admissions tour guide may say could be true but it is important to go into a meeting or conversation with these individuals having more background knowledge so as not to be easily swayed or convinced to sign with an institution that does not focus on the studentathlete’s personal objectives. To bring these three focuses together, there was a great deal of literature that touched on each specific topic. To understand the variables that affect student-athletes, research was gathered starting with the broad concept of institutional factors. These factors included the type of institution, diversity, an institution’s culture or environment, admissions selectivity, as well has how teachers and coaches influence student-athletes, and if major impacts student-athlete’s success. Diving deeper into the specifics of academics, it is important to understand how success is measured. Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and Academic Progress Rate (APR) are often used to define which institutions are meeting the academic requirements. These benchmarks are often tied back to the institution, athletic department, and studentathletes through questions about how financial resources are spent in an effective manner to support this academic success. If the institution and its athletic department are follow is mission statements, financial resources should be used to support its end goal of student-athlete graduation. After looking at the pieces, the institutional factors, academic benchmarks, and finances that go into successful student-athletes, it is important to note the influence and objectives of the governing body of college athletics, the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Past research focused on where this association has on been successful and where the NCAA is lacking in terms of how it uses its financial resources as well as how it measures student-athlete success. Even though the NCAA sets up these rules, how the institution interprets and meets these academic expectations vary. Therefore, it is important to understand the institution and how it its decisions impact the student-athletes. Literature Review Institutional Impacts on Student-Athletes INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS 4 The choice of which higher education institution to attend is a major decision. Public and private schools alike claim to be the best choice for students and student-athletes. However, research into graduation rates of public and private institutions has consistently found that private colleges and universities have greater graduation rates (Pike & Graunke, 2015). The past research on this relationship has taken into account institutional and student characteristics for the class year, as well as the institution’s total enrollment, and admissions selectivity (Pike & Graunke, 2015). However, it is important to note that large public and small regional universities are far more likely to draw a diverse student body including non-traditional students, minority groups, commuter, and lower income students, as well as first generation college student (Ferris, Finster, & McDonald, 2004). Even though this diversity shifts the graduation rates, it is an advantage to the learning environment. Along with the diversity of the student body, the amount of student engagement should not be forgotten. According to the scores on the National Survey of Student Engagement, academic rigor and engagement is important and are positively linked to graduation rates (Pike & Graunke, 2015). A challenging and captivating learning experience will lead to long term success for the institution and students. This learning environment is affected by another institutional factor, an institution’s climate or culture. Institutional climate is described as the “attitudes, behaviors, and standards and practices of employees and students of an institution” which includes the “level of respect for individual and group needs, abilities, and potential” (Rankin & Reason, 2008, p. 264). What matters is student-athletes’ perceptions of and their interactions with athletic personnel and academic personnel (Rankin, Merson, Garvey, Sorgen, Menon, Loya, & Oseguera, 2016). A negative climate however can interfere with academic success and the beneficial development of the students who attend the institution, whereas for students surrounded by a campus with a more positive and supportive climate, academic success is not hindered (Rankin et al., 2016). This means that the more professors are able to build a connection with their students and are prepared, available, and helpful; the greater the academic knowledge that students will gain in addition to critical thinking skills (Reason, Terenzini, & Domingo, 2006). Aside from just the INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS 5 institution’s atmosphere, the image of the institution is influential. Institutions that possess a valuable brand name, which offer both social and economic advantages once graduated, can make students more aware of the value of their degree and this can lead them to be more invested in their academics (Ferris, et al., 2004). This shows that in conjunction with the institution itself, the students the admissions department accept makes a difference. The Admissions Department of an institution has a difficult job. It must select students that can succeed academically while ensuring diversity and opportunity for potential students. Admissions is often caught between “athletic or academic credentials in recruiting and admitting athletes who can compete at the Division I-A level of competition”; institutions often favor the athletic over an academic standard that is required (Ferris et al., 2004, p. 567). This means that the admissions departments do not always select students that meet the expectations or have the characteristics that match the institution in terms of the academic preparation required (Ferris et al., 2004). The reason for this lenience with potential student-athletes, is that athletic success and play-off opportunities are a marketing tool and can be a focal point for the institution so as to be able to recruit more students, not just student-athletes (Walker, 2015). The visibility of a