The NCAA's annual Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) report will be released later today (April 7), and Missouri State has learned that two of its programs, men's basketball and football, failed to meet the required average score over the most-recent four-year evaluation period from 2005-06 to 2008-09. As a result, both sports will lose scholarships, at least temporarily.
Director of Athletics Kyle Moats said Missouri State accepts the penalties and supports the importance of the APR scoring
"We not only expect our student-athletes to graduate, we want them to be successful after they graduate so they become successful alumni," said Moats. "Even though 14 of our 16 programs exceeded the NCAA requirement, we can never lose sight of how important the big picture is for all of our programs and why retention is so critical."
The MSU men's basketball program will lose one scholarship as part of its penalty for having a four-year average score of 908. The team will operate with 12 scholarships during the 2011-12 season and must make satisfactory progress toward its APR improvement plan goals.
Similarly, the football Bears received a reduction of 2.83 scholarships for one season based on their APR score of 921. The program, however, operated below its maximum allowable 63 scholarships during the 2009 campaign and will accept its penalty in the current academic year. The football program must also make progress toward its APR improvement plan.
The scholarship reductions will not directly affect student-athletes currently receiving athletic scholarships nor those already committed to Missouri State through National Letters of Intent.
Even though both programs underwent head coaching changes during the four-year reporting period, Moats noted the academic progress rate is a top priority for him and his staff.
"We will be successful in the classroom and expect academic progress from all of our student-athletes and accountability from our coaches," Moats said. "We have implemented steps this year to better monitor classroom performance, provide additional academic support, and increase accountability."
Moats also stated that the multi-level APR improvement plans for men's basketball and football have been in motion long before the NCAA report was released. If Missouri State makes satisfactory progress toward its improvement goals, it can receive a conditional waiver in future years if its APR scores in the affected sports fail to reach the 925 margin again.
"The APR score is based on a four-year average, so even a perfect score the next year does not always bring a program up to the appropriate level," Moats explained. "The conditional waiver is there to give a school an opportunity to be successful and make progress incrementally. But, make no mistake, you have to work toward your goals, and we will make that happen."
Missouri State's other programs in the upcoming NCAA APR release rated as follows: baseball (947), men's golf (926), men's soccer (966), men's swimming and diving (983), women's basketball (953), women's cross country (994), field hockey (979), women's golf (972), softball (986), women's soccer (986), women's swimming and diving (958), women's indoor track and field (965), women's outdoor track and field (968), volleyball (995).
