After years, TSU makes strides in Academic Progress Report

It’s taken years to get there, but the NCAA’s annual release of Academic Progress Report data is now cause for satisfaction at Texas Southern University, not a sign of another crisis on the horizon.

While several Historically Black Colleges and Universities continue to struggle with meeting standards under the NCAA’s formula measuring academic eligibility and graduation rates for student-athletes, TSU has emerged from years of shortfalls to post comparable scores to the other Division I colleges in Texas.

Four years after receiving a one-year football postseason ban because of APR shortcomings, TSU’s score has improved by almost a hundred points in two years and for 2014-15 ranked ninth among the 20 Division I schools in Texas and one point higher than the national average for 251 Division I football programs.

“It’s one thing to talk about it. It’s another thing to follow through on the commitment to improve, which we have,” said Charles McClelland, TSU’s athletic director. “It started with (former TSU president John Rudley) giving us people and funding to improve. Instead of being on the front page for having done wrong, we are being recognized for good scores.”

TSU’s improvement over the last four years is in marked contrast to the sanctions faced by fellow Southwestern Athletic Conference members Southern University and Alcorn State and other HBCUs such as Savannah State, Florida A&M and North Carolina A&T.

Southern in Baton Rouge, La., was hardest hit. Eleven sports — all but men’s basketball and tennis — were banned from the 2916-17 postseason based on the 2014-15 data disclosed by the NCAA this week. It’s the third time since 2011 that Southern has faced APR-related sanctions.

“It’s a concern for HBCUs, and it’s a continued concern for Texas Southern,” McClelland said.