Bears Lead Big 12, Again

For the second year in a row, Baylor's student-athletes lead the Big 12 Conference in Graduation Success Rate (GSR), according to figures released in October by the NCAA. Baylor's 2007 GSR score of 87 was 10 points higher than the NCAA Division I average and nine points ahead of second-place Colorado among Big 12 schools. 
Five Baylor athletic programs--football, baseball, men's tennis, women's tennis and women's golf--led the Big 12, while three more ranked second. Men's and women's basketball each placed third in the conference.
The two tennis teams and the women's golf squad each earned perfect GSR scores, while Baylor football led the Big 12 in graduation rate for the sixth time in the conference's 12-year history, 
"I am extremely proud of the academic performance of our student-athletes in the past year as measured by the Graduation Success Rate," says Baylor Director of Athletics Ian McCaw. "While we have become accustomed to being a leader in the Big 12 in this category, we do not take it for granted and continue to emphasize academic success to our student-athletes. This accomplishment is a credit to the dedication of our student-athletes, academic commitment of our coaches and the outstanding work of the student-athlete services staff. Baylor's faculty members play a key role in the academic success of our student-athletes and are to be commended for the outstanding job they do in the classroom."
The GSR was developed by the NCAA in response to college and university presidents who wanted graduation data that more accurately reflected the mobility among college students today. It measures graduation rates at Division I institutions and includes transferring into the institutions. The GSR also allows institutions to subtract student-athletes who leave their institutions prior to graduation as long as they would have been academically eligible to compete had they remained.