By Rashad Christian
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The Towson University athletic department has earned a 90% graduation success rate (GSR) across all its teams, according to the latest Division 1 (D1) GSR report released on Nov. 17.
The GSR report details the graduation rates of D1 programs between 2010 and 2013. With its 90 percent graduation success rate, a 2 percent increase from the last report, Towson achieved the highest such rate out of all D1 University System of Maryland institutions. The University of Maryland – College Park earned an 86 percent GSR.
When Tricia Turley Brandenburg, the deputy director of athletics at Towson, arrived at TU eight years ago, she said she saw that coaches and student-athletes didn’t know what a GSR was or what it meant. She’s been working hard to make sure the GSR becomes something that is understood and prioritized by those in the department.
“We’re much more transparent about where we stand with the numbers, which allows us to have productive conversations with coaches as early as the recruiting process,” Brandenburg said. “As a result, I think, as a department, we’ve become more intentional in our approach to academic success.”
According to the report, five Towson teams reached a 100 percent GSR: men’s golf, men’s swimming, field hockey, women’s lacrosse, and tennis. Outside of those top five, six other teams managed to reach at least a 90-95 percent GSR. Men’s basketball also reached 90 percent while the football team reached 85 percent.
Towson officials said the university provides resources for its players to help them manage such a demanding school and sport load. One of those resources is constant access to tutors and mentors.
“We provide assistance as FYE [First-Year Experience] advisors for freshmen and act as secondary advisors (major advisors are primary in most cases) for upperclassmen,” said Geoff Gordon, senior assistant athletic director for academic achievement. “We have a tutoring program that covers a wide range of subjects and we also use the tutoring program on campus if we do not offer the requested subject.”
Gordon said his job requires him to make sure student-athletes are enrolled in the correct course and “completing the degree of their choice while also maintaining NCAA eligibility.”
Gordon also oversees the Towson baseball team, which has traditionally seen a high GSR. In the last three reports detailing the GSR of Towson athletic programs from 2008-2011, 2009-2012, and 2010-2013, the team achieved GSRs of 100 percent, 95 percent, and 94 percent, respectively.
“The discipline they’ve shown to get it done in the classroom has been amazing,” Gordon said. “This is especially true when you takeinto account a 56-game schedule in the spring with the time constraints due to travel, competition, practice and training. The team embraces the term ‘student-athlete.’”
The GSR formula includes the success rate of students who transfer in, while the federal graduation rate considers transfers as “failures” and uses that against the rate a school would’ve achieved. With this in mind, Brandenburg emphasizes clear communication between coaches and potential recruits when discussing academic expectations. She believes this communication sends a good message to student-athletes who wish to play for a Towson team.
“Towson University and Towson Athletics believe in the true student-athlete experience,” Brandenburg said. “Towson is a place where you can achieve both your academic and athletic goals and we champion your success in both.”
When the pandemic started in March, students were thrust into the virtual classroom without regard. It was a rough transition for most, with students saying they weren’t anywhere near prepared to handle fully online learning. Nine months later and classrooms at Towson are still virtual and are presenting challenges for student-athletes.
“Everything is virtual now. Everything. That is and has been the biggest challenge,” Gordon said. “These are tough times and it takes special young men and women with a drive to do well to accomplish what the student-athletes have here at Towson.”