Blue White Illustrated

ACADEMICS PSU shines in latest grad rate survey Penn State student-athletes con- tinue to graduate well above their peers nationwide, according to sta- tistical information released in No- vember by the NCAA. The NCAA's annual study of grad- uation rates across the nation re- vealed that student-athletes at the University Park campus earned a Graduation Success Rate of 89 per- cent, compared to the 84 percent average for all Division I institu- tions. The study encompassed stu- dents entering from 2006-07 through the 2009-10 academic year. The 89 percent graduation figure is just one point off Penn State's 90 percent all-time graduation record mark and one point higher than last year's figure. Seven Penn State squads earned a Graduation Success Rate of 100 per- cent: men's basketball, field hockey, women's golf, women's gymnastics, men's soccer, softball and women's tennis. The field hockey and women's tennis teams earned a 100 percent GSR for the 12th consecutive year. The softball squad posted a 100 per- cent GSR for the fifth consecutive year, while the men's basketball team had a perfect GSR score for the fourth year in a row. Eleven Nittany Lion squads im- proved their GSR scores from last year's NCAA graduation report, while five others had the same GSR as last year – four of which were at 100 per- cent for at least a second consecutive year. For the seventh consecutive year, the football and men's and women's basketball teams earned Graduation Success Rates that were at least four points higher than the national aver- ages for their sports. The football team was at 80 percent (compared to 74 percent in Division I and the Foot- U.S. Paralympics, a division of the United States Olympic Committee, an- nounced in December that Penn State Ability Athletics has been recognized as a gold level club as a part of the Par- alympic Sport Club Excellence Pro- gram, which also recognizes 65 other clubs across the country. Created in 2013, the excellence pro- gram is designed to support Paralympic Sport Clubs as they evolve their sport programming in areas such as ath- lete identification and coaching education. It's also in- tended to salute efforts to grow the Paralympic movement in the United States. "Paralympic Sport Clubs are critical not only for the development of ath- letes but also for the growth of the Paralympic movement in the United States," said Rick Adams, chief of Paralympic sport and NGB organiza- tional development. "We are grateful for the investment these Paralympic Sports Clubs have made in their com- munities and we are proud to honor their commitment to excellence in supporting future Paralympic ath- letes." The multi-tier excellence program has benchmarks at the bronze, silver and gold levels to give participating clubs a blueprint for transitioning from a basic provider (bronze level) to an elite provider (gold level) of Paralympic programming. After a Paralympic Sport Club completes a level, the club will be eligible to receive recognition and an award designated for the bronze, silver or gold level. Clubs des- ignated as gold or silver receive a stipend for programming, while bronze-level clubs receive recognition banners. Teri Jordan, who oversees Penn State's Ability Athletics progam, said the university was honored to be rec- ognized for its Paralympic efforts by the USOC. "Our program has only been in exis- tence for 17 years, but in that time we have had three individuals make the Paralympic team in track and field in Athens, Beijing and Rio," said Jordan, who previously served as women's track and field head coach at Penn State. "We also have had five other individ- uals make 10 world championship teams. We are honored to see that not only Penn Staters see how much im- pact our program has had on these in- dividuals, but also our national and international governing body has rec- ognized our efforts to make this one of the top programs in the country. If God had not blessed us with outstanding athletes who inspire others, we would not be where we are today. The sup- port both PSU and the USOC and na- tional coaches have given us to help give these individuals an opportunity to compete is amazing." When the excellence program launched in 2013, 24 clubs were rec- ognized. This year, an additional 15 clubs across the country achieved ex- cellence for the first time or moved up a level from 2015. In addition to Penn State, the USOC named Bridge II Sports in Durham, N.C., a gold medal recipient. PARALYMPICS Penn State's Paralympic program saluted by U.S. Olympic Committee JORDAN

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