Some Administrators Question Study : Graduation rates: Officials at Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State and UC Irvine say numbers can be misleading.

Most university administrators won’t dispute the need to release graduation rates. The figures provide valuable information to educators, policy makers and students about what’s happening in higher education.

But for those charged with actually producing graduates, it’s not quite that simple. The numbers don’t necessarily reflect what they purport to, administrators contend. Consequently, a tool designed to help the process contributes to more misinformation. And the problem is most acute where athletics are concerned.

People in positions required to know such things at Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State and UC Irvine reaffirmed this sentiment after viewing the latest NCAA study released Thursday. Although they all vigorously support providing more support to student-athletes, they said the study doesn’t do justice to an already strong commitment.

“Statistics only reflect certain things,” said Petrina Long, associate director of athletics at UC Irvine. “I’m not sure everyone has a ‘fair’ graduation rate.”

Long said graduation rates would undoubtedly be higher if studies tracked athletes who exhaust their eligibility. For example, Irvine ranked slightly above the national Division I average in graduating student-athletes who entered with the 1988 freshman class.

According to the NCAA, 59% of Irvine student-athletes graduated during the reporting period as compared to a national average of 58%. Overall, the graduation rate was 73% for freshmen who entered Irvine in the fall of 1988.

As seemingly impressive as the data appears, though, Long still feels cheated.

“Obviously, I would rather that the figure be 100%, and I think [all administrators] would,” Long said. “But to me, it’s a little bit more important to judge kids who use all of their eligibility.

“This means they’ve stayed and played four seasons, and I think it’s a little more reflective of the job you’re doing.”

If studies factored in such criteria, Long said, Irvine’s student-athlete graduation rate over the most recent period would have been 89%. Also, that figure would continue to grow if studies counted all athletes. Presently, non-scholarship athletes aren’t factored into the formula.

This irks Christine McCarthy. The director of academic services at Cal State Fullerton, McCarthy is displeased with the study that shows graduation rates at her university markedly lower than the national average. Fullerton’s graduation rate is 31% for student-athletes and 45% for all freshmen.

“I don’t agree with the way the NCAA does these statistics,” McCarthy said. “It only reflects scholarship athletes, and only about one-third of our athletes are on scholarship. We have a track team with an 80% graduation rate that’s not reflected in this survey.

“If you ask me as an academic person, I’ll tell you I’d love a 100% graduation rate. But the fact that it isn’t 100% doesn’t mean our student-athletes aren’t graduating. Many of them just aren’t counted.”

Long Beach Athletic Director Dave O’Brien has reason to be pleased with the study. Long Beach’s 39% graduation rate for student-athletes is actually higher than the rate for all freshmen (35%). This signals a significant improvement from the early ‘90s, when only 14% of Long Beach student-athletes graduated.

“This is a source of tremendous pride for us,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien attributes the improvement to more stringent academic guidelines implemented by the athletic department, tying coaches’ evaluations to the academic performances of their student-athletes and the school’s decision to drop football in 1991. The financial commitment to the sport affected academic services available to all student-athletes.

“Part of our ability to go from 14% to 39% is that we don’t have football,” O’Brien said. “By virtue of dropping football, we have fewer student-athletes and, hence, are able to provide more academic counseling and support to our student-athletes.”

However, O’Brien isn’t enamored with the NCAA’s system. In addition to echoing his colleague’s criticisms, he also finds fault with studies because they don’t include students who transfer into universities after their freshman years.

What’s more, student-athletes who transfer from schools are counted only in the “attempt” category even if they graduate from another school. O’Brien said this especially penalizes California State Universities because of the large percentage of transfer students in the system.

“I should be judged on student-athletes whether or not they’re on scholarship, whether or not they’re transfer students and whether or not they come to Long Beach State and then leave to compete elsewhere,” O’Brien said. “If we were, my hunch is we’d be a lot higher.”