| A record 199 Penn State student-athletes earned at least a 3.50 grade point average or higher during the 2005 fall semester to earn Dean's List recognition. |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., March 15, 2006 - Nearly 200 Penn State student-athletes earned Dean's List recognition during the 2005 Fall semester to highlight another record-breaking academic performance, Director of Athletics Tim Curley reported today.
During the most recent semester, a record 199 Nittany Lion student-athletes earned a 3.50 grade point average or higher to gain Dean's List recognition. The total represents a record 27 percent of the 738 young men and women who were members of Penn State's 29 varsity sports. The previous highs were 192 student-athletes and 26 percent of Penn State's active student-athletes from the 2004 Fall semester. Dean's List students must complete a minimum of 12 credits in a semester.
A total of 435 student-athletes earned a GPA of 3.0 or above last semester, just seven off the record of 442 from the 2003 fall semester. The 435 total represents 59 percent of active student-athletes, one percent below the record 60 percent set in the Fall of 2003 and '04.
Penn State's 29 varsity teams had an average GPA of 3.07, with 18 squads earning a team semester GPA of 3.0 or higher. The cheerleaders and Lionettes dance team also posted team GPAs of 3.0 or better.
The number of Nittany Lion student-athletes achieving a 3.0 GPA or earning Dean's List recognition has steadily risen under the direction of Russ Mushinsky, Director of the Morgan Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes, and Diana Kenepp, who was the director from September 1989-June 2003.
Over the past five years, the number of Penn State student-athletes earning a 3.0 GPA has risen from 360 (Fall 2000) to 435 (Fall 2005), an increase of 17 percent. Five years ago, 135 student-athletes posted a 3.5 GPA during the Fall 2000 semester, compared to 199 last fall, an increase of 32 percent.
"We are thrilled with another outstanding academic performance by our student-athletes," Curley said. "Their consistently strong performance in the classroom is a credit to their great work-ethic and to the encouragement and support they receive from our faculty, academic support personnel and coaches."
Penn State's student-athletes, who have won six Big Ten Championships thus far in 2005-06, consistently have been among the nation's most successful in earning their degrees. Among some of the recent academic accomplishments are:
- In the NCAA's Academic Performance Rate (APR) report released earlier this month, 11 Penn State teams earned a perfect APR score of 1,000 during 2004-05 and seven teams have a two-year APR score of 1,000. Among Penn State's 29 varsity teams, 24 have a two-year APR score above the Division I average for their respective sports.
- Penn State student-athletes earned a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 87 percent compared to a 77 percent average for all Division I-A institutions, according to NCAA data released in January. Twenty of Penn State's 25 teams earned a GSR score above the national average (track and field and cross country are counted as one sport).
- Among the 1998-99 entering freshman class, 78 percent of Penn State student-athletes earned degrees within six years, compared to 62 percent for all Division I-A institutions, according to the NCAA. The four-year average rate for University Park student-athletes was 80 percent, significantly above the national average of 62 percent for student-athletes. The four-year average was second highest in the Big Ten to Northwestern.
- African-American student-athletes at Penn State consistently graduate at much higher percentages than at other Division I-A institutions. The 73 percent four-year federal rate marked the 15th straight year that Penn State's graduation rate for African-American student-athletes topped the African-American figures for Division I-A. At all Division I-A institutions in the NCAA compilation, the African-American four-year graduation percentile was 52 percent.
The University's African-American student-athlete GSR was 82 percent, 22 points higher than the national GSR average of 60 percent.
- During the 2005 Fall semester, Penn State had 71 Academic All-Big Ten selections, tied with Indiana for most in the conference. The Nittany Lions earned a school record 253 Academic All-Big Ten honorees in 2004-05 and over the past 11 1/2 years lead the conference with 2,381 selections.
- In addition, junior linebacker Paul Posluszny was selected a first team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American in December, giving the Nittany Lions 74 such honorees over the past 12 1/2years. Penn State has had 117 Academic All-Americans all-time to rank fourth among all NCAA institutions (all divisions).