Commitment in classroom leads to lifelong success
5/23/2018 12:00:00 AM | General, Fire Up Chats
We are only a week removed from 61 CMU students realizing the epitome of the student-athlete experience -- earning a college degree.
Having earned this distinction a (little more than a) few years ago and witnessing my daughter Audrey earn her diploma as a student-athlete at Oklahoma this past weekend, I can personally attest to the pride this moment brings to individuals, families and to the entire athletics department. Congratulations, graduates!
While graduation may be the pinnacle, it is a summit not reached without a commitment to academic success along the way. Over the course of the 2017-18 academic year, CMU student-athletes once again proved that they are committed to success in the classroom as evidenced by:
- An all-sport, single-year academic progress rate (APR) of 985, a mark that exceeds the national average.
- Eight programs with a perfect single-year APR of 1,000, ranking them each at the top of the conference.
- CMU football earning the second-highest single-year APR in the MAC and CMU wrestling earning the top two, single-year APR among MAC wrestling programs.
- The spring 2018 semester marked the 39th consecutive semester of an athletics department GPA of 3.0 or better
As our graduates move on to the next phase of their lives, our athletics infrastructure is moving rapidly into the next phase of its development.
This veritable facilities boom features major renovations for our soccer, gymnastics and field hockey programs. These facilities include new locker rooms for soccer and gymnastics and a new playing surface at the CMU Field Hockey Complex.
I encourage you to contact the Chippewa Athletic Fund staff to learn about the unique naming opportunities associated with some of these projects.
On the topic of facilities, the project that seems to be top of mind for so many friends of CMU is the Chippewa Champions Alumni Center. Just last month, Central Michigan University kicked off the public phase of its $100 million Capital Campaign, and we unveiled the latest renderings for the campaign's cornerstone project.
In accompanying our fundraising team and university leadership on a number of visits over the past few months, I have been inspired by how receptive our extended CMU family has been to this transformational project. People understand its impact on this university and are stepping up to support it.
A project like the Chippewa Champions Alumni Center is not completed simply by a few generous benefactors, it will take a collective effort. We have an aggressive timeline to begin construction, and I sincerely hope that our team can connect with any and all of our friends who want to help turn this dream into reality in the very near future.
Be sure to check cmuchippewas.com regularly for big announcements coming your way. We recently featured an article about the generous $1 million commitment from Gay and Michael Franckowiak and, thanks to the generosity of some great friends of CMU Athletics, we have some more transformational gifts to celebrate in the weeks ahead. We also have exciting news coming soon on future football schedules.
Finally, I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to a CMU legend in Tom Borrelli on his induction into the National Wrestling Association Hall of Fame Michigan Chapter. It is a well-deserved recognition of his place among the sport's elite coaches.
Have a great start to the summer and Fire up Chips!
