Backboards & Blackboards

Backboards & Blackboards
Author: Patricia A. Adler
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 288
Release: 1991
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780231073073

College basketball experienced its greatest rise in popularity during the eighties, becoming one of the most commercially successful spectator sports in America. With this rise came an era of scandal: recruiting violations, spurious admittance practices, and controversial treatment of student athletes. Within this guarded context of scrutiny, allegations of improprieties, and media celebrity, Patricia and Peter Adler penetrated the public front of a top twenty basketball team. The result of their efforts, Backboards and Blackboards: College Athletes and Role Engulfment, is a compelling inside account of an exciting, intimidating, and glamorous hidden arena.

Reclaiming the Game

Reclaiming the Game
Author: William G. Bowen
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 497
Release: 2011-06-27
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1400840708

In Reclaiming the Game, William Bowen and Sarah Levin disentangle the admissions and academic experiences of recruited athletes, walk-on athletes, and other students. In a field overwhelmed by reliance on anecdotes, the factual findings are striking--and sobering. Anyone seriously concerned about higher education will find it hard to wish away the evidence that athletic recruitment is problematic even at those schools that do not offer athletic scholarships. Thanks to an expansion of the College and Beyond database that resulted in the highly influential studies The Shape of the River and The Game of Life, the authors are able to analyze in great detail the backgrounds, academic qualifications, and college outcomes of athletes and their classmates at thirty-three academically selective colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships. They show that recruited athletes at these schools are as much as four times more likely to gain admission than are other applicants with similar academic credentials. The data also demonstrate that the typical recruit is substantially more likely to end up in the bottom third of the college class than is either the typical walk-on or the student who does not play college sports. Even more troubling is the dramatic evidence that recruited athletes "underperform:" they do even less well academically than predicted by their test scores and high school grades. Over the last four decades, the athletic-academic divide on elite campuses has widened substantially. This book examines the forces that have been driving this process and presents concrete proposals for reform. At its core, Reclaiming the Game is an argument for re-establishing athletics as a means of fulfilling--instead of undermining--the educational missions of our colleges and universities.

Measuring Noncognitive Variables

Measuring Noncognitive Variables
Author: William Sedlacek
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2023-07-03
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000981282

Co-published in association with Big Picture Learning.Measuring Noncognitive Variables: Improving Admissions, Success, and Retention for Underrepresented Students is written for admissions professionals, counselors, faculty and advisers who admit, teach, or work with students during the admissions process and post-enrollment period. It brings together theory, research and practice related to noncognitive variables in a practical way by using assessment methods provided at no cost. Noncognitive variables have been shown to correlate with the academic success of students of all races, cultures, and backgrounds. Noncognitive variables include personal and social dimensions, adjustment, motivation, and student perceptions, rather than the traditional verbal and quantitative areas (often called cognitive) typically measured by standardized tests.Key Features include:* Models that raise concepts related to innovation, diversity and racism in proactive ways* Examples of admission and post-enrollment applications that show how schools and programs can use noncognitive variables in a variety of ways * Additional examples from foundations, professional associations, and K-12 programs* An overview of the limitations of traditional assessment methods such as admission tests, grades, and courses takenEducation professionals involved in the admissions process will find this guide effectively informs their practice. This guide is also appropriate as a textbook in a range of courses offered in Higher Education and Student Affairs Masters and PhD programs.

The Game of Life

The Game of Life
Author: James L. Shulman
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 497
Release: 2011-08-15
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1400840694

The President of Williams College faces a firestorm for not allowing the women's lacrosse team to postpone exams to attend the playoffs. The University of Michigan loses $2.8 million on athletics despite averaging 110,000 fans at each home football game. Schools across the country struggle with the tradeoffs involved with recruiting athletes and updating facilities for dozens of varsity sports. Does increasing intensification of college sports support or detract from higher education's core mission? James Shulman and William Bowen introduce facts into a terrain overrun by emotions and enduring myths. Using the same database that informed The Shape of the River, the authors analyze data on 90,000 students who attended thirty selective colleges and universities in the 1950s, 1970s, and 1990s. Drawing also on historical research and new information on giving and spending, the authors demonstrate how athletics influence the class composition and campus ethos of selective schools, as well as the messages that these institutions send to prospective students, their parents, and society at large. Shulman and Bowen show that athletic programs raise even more difficult questions of educational policy for small private colleges and highly selective universities than they do for big-time scholarship-granting schools. They discover that today's athletes, more so than their predecessors, enter college less academically well-prepared and with different goals and values than their classmates--differences that lead to different lives. They reveal that gender equity efforts have wrought large, sometimes unanticipated changes. And they show that the alumni appetite for winning teams is not--as schools often assume--insatiable. If a culprit emerges, it is the unquestioned spread of a changed athletic culture through the emulation of highly publicized teams by low-profile sports, of men's programs by women's, and of athletic powerhouses by small colleges. Shulman and Bowen celebrate the benefits of collegiate sports, while identifying the subtle ways in which athletic intensification can pull even prestigious institutions from their missions. By examining how athletes and other graduates view The Game of Life--and how colleges shape society's view of what its rules should be--Bowen and Shulman go far beyond sports. They tell us about higher education today: the ways in which colleges set policies, reinforce or neglect their core mission, and send signals about what matters.

College Student Retention

College Student Retention
Author: Alan Seidman
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 359
Release: 2024-08-09
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1475872364

College student retention continues to be a top priority among colleges, universities, educators, federal and state legislatures, parents and students. While access to higher education is virtually universally available, many students who start in a higher education program do not complete the program or achieve their academic and personal goals. In spite of the programs and services colleges and universities have devoted to this issue, student retention and graduation rates have not improved considerably over time. College Student Retention: Formula for Student Success, Third Edition offers a solution to this vexing problem. It provides background information about college student retention issues and offers the educational community pertinent information to help all types of students succeed. The book lays out the financial implications and trends of retention. Current theories of retention, retention of online students, and retention in community colleges are also thoroughly discussed. Completely new to this edition are chapters that examine retention of minority and international students. Additionally, a formula for student success is provided which if colleges and universities implement student academic and personal goals may be attained.

Athlete Learning in Elite Sport

Athlete Learning in Elite Sport
Author: Natalie Barker-Ruchti
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2019-02-05
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 135161780X

Elite athletes lead a particular way of life, which creates significant learning and shapes their selves. This is the first sociological-pedagogical text to conceptualise athlete learning in elite sport and across athletic careers. It outlines theories of learning and argues for a cultural perspective capturing contextual influence, temporal changes, individual dispositions, and subjectivity. Presented in three parts—landscaping elite sport and theorising athlete learning; showcasing athletes’ learning in elite sport; and informing research and practice—the book features nine international, multi-contextual, and multi-experience case studies of athlete careers, experiences, and learning across individual and team sports such as boxing, rugby, basketball, hockey, and gymnastics. This is fascinating reading for students, researchers, and practitioners in sport organisations, sports coaching, coach education, and sport sociology and pedagogy.

Handbook of College Reading and Study Strategy Research

Handbook of College Reading and Study Strategy Research
Author: Rona F. Flippo
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 553
Release: 1999-09
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1135677204

The Handbook of College Reading and Study Strategy Research is the most comprehensive and up-to-date source available for college reading and study strategy practitioners and administrators. In this thorough and systematic examination of theory, r

Administration of Intercollegiate Athletics

Administration of Intercollegiate Athletics
Author: Robert Zullo
Publisher: Human Kinetics
Total Pages: 458
Release: 2024-02-27
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1718213026

The dynamic world of collegiate sports has seen seismic changes since the previous edition of Administration of Intercollegiate Athletics was published. Conference realignments; name, image, and likeness (NIL) advancements; multibillion-dollar media rights deals; expanded bowl games and tournaments; and big-money corporate sponsorships have all been arisen out of the burgeoning popularity of college sports. The growing complexities of the sport administrator’s role necessitate a college text that reflects the times. And that’s exactly what Administration of Intercollegiate Athletics, Second Edition, does. Some of the most informed and experienced professionals in the field of athletics administration have lent their expertise to the updated second edition, making it the most comprehensive resource available today for students aspiring to work in the field and for professionals navigating an increasingly demanding environment. The text offers students a deep dive into the day-to-day operations of collegiate athletics departments. With chapters covering governing bodies and conference governance; leadership and management; rules compliance; academics, eligibility, and student-athlete development; media relations and production; financial operations and budgeting; marketing, ticketing, licensing, and sponsorships; facility and event management; alumni relations; and support services, the text provides students with the essential underpinnings of an athletics administration position. New to this edition is a chapter dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion to provide broader discussions of athlete social justice activism, gender equity, Title IX compliance, feminist theory, and allyship. In addition, the second edition discusses the rise of NIL deals, legalized sports wagering, and esports, as well as the lasting financial impacts of COVID-19 on athletics departments at all levels of intercollegiate sport. While Division I schools grab the spotlight, administrators in Division II, Division III, junior colleges, and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) athletics departments share the same responsibilities as their Division I counterparts. Throughout the text, Administration of Intercollegiate Athletics, Second Edition, takes care to address the needs and concerns of administrators at these levels, even more so than in the previous edition. New and updated features include Leadership Lesson sidebars, discussion questions, learning activities, and case studies designed to enhance learning and provide practical application of the concepts presented. Also included are Industry Profile sidebars that highlight prominent athletics administrators, Technology Tools sidebars that showcase the latest advancements assisting administrators in their roles, and Professional Development sidebars that provide students with direction on how to enter and succeed in the industry. Administration of Intercollegiate Athletics, Second Edition, is an essential textbook for courses on intercollegiate athletics, sport management, or sport marketing and is a relied-on resource for current sport administrators.