Sunday, January 14, 2007
A Shot Across The Bow of the Arms Race in College Athletics
In a letter to the editor in the Eugene Register-Guard, 92 faculty members of the University of Oregon excoriate the University for putting the needs of athletic department above the academic mission of the school.
Ducking education: The UO administration allows out-of-control spending in the athletic department while the downhill slide of academics hurts faculty and students alike
The strongest part of the letter is the evidence the authors cite:
Ducking education: The UO administration allows out-of-control spending in the athletic department while the downhill slide of academics hurts faculty and students alike
The strongest part of the letter is the evidence the authors cite:
"Our academic reputation is declining. The UO's 2004 four- and five-year
graduation rates, at 36.4 percent and 56.7 percent respectively, are significantly below our academic peers and near the bottom of the Pac-10. Oregon is the only Pac-10 school to be recently downgraded by the Carnegie Trust from the top tier to the second tier of national research universities. The 2007 US News and World Report college ratings rank us 120th in the country, the best among Oregon public universities but still mediocre. Our overall graduate program ratings are lower than 20 years ago. It is worse than ironic that our academic rankings are dropping as our
football rankings rise. "
