When Sports are in Balance

Dr. Beverley J. Pitts
This opinion piece appeared in the Oct. 7 edition of  The Indianapolis Star.

On college campuses across the country, football season is in full swing &mdash the tailgate parties, the halftime shows, and best of all the cheering fans dressed in school colors. When we get it right, athletics enhances the academic experience and brings a community together. The news is filled with stories of what happens when we don't.

Maintaining that balance between athletics and academics is something all colleges strive for, but some have been more successful than others. For evidence, check out the schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II, to which the University of Indianapolis belongs. If you don't know what sets them apart, you'll understand why Division II has launched a branding campaign to gain the kind of recognition and attention long reserved for Big Ten sports.

Division II colleges may go uncelebrated nationally but seldom in their own backyards, where they are engaged in their local communities, and where the high-level athletic competition they offer is readily accessible to neighborhood fans. Many of these institutions often serve as a surrogate town square for social gatherings and civic meetings.

A Division II school offers athletic scholarships, which provide college access for many students who otherwise could not afford to attend. These institutions further distinguish themselves by developing not the athlete, but the student-athlete &mdash a well-rounded scholar. Case in point: UIndy offensive lineman Zach Dennis, a stellar chemistry student, is planning to pursue a doctorate in analytical chemistry. Between class work and football practice, he finds time for community service. Linebacker Brandon Umphress, another top scholar, will attend medical school after graduation.

Division II schools offer many sports, and at a very competitive level. At UIndy, the only Division II school in Central Indiana, there are 21 varsity sports, from volleyball and golf to football and basketball. We compete against schools such as Grand Valley State, Wayne State, Northern Kentucky and Drury.

When there's balance, athletics can provide release from stress, improve emotional well-being and help students learn time management, which actually enhances academic achievement. The average GPA of UIndy's 480 student-athletes is 3.1. Graduation rates at Division II schools are consistently 10 to 15 percentage points higher for student-athletes than for the total student body.

Division II schools feel a strong obligation to their communities. This is not an idle feeling of goodwill, but a stated commitment to real engagement, backed by action.

UIndy has been active in community initiatives for some time now, most visibly in Fountain Square, where the university's willingness to partner facilitated the development of the Wheeler Arts building and Fountain Square Center. Recently, we helped form the Gateway Business Alliance and have dedicated resources and personnel to its mission of South Side redevelopment. Faculty, staff and students are involved in these initiatives, and we will continue to find ways to engage them further.

This is what Division II is all about, and we are proud to be a part of it. I hope that by sharing real stories of academic and athletic achievement; of successful, well-rounded graduates of character; and of community investment and involvement, member schools can help the public appreciate the special philosophy and mission that truly sets Division II apart. In so doing, perhaps Division II will get the respect and news coverage it so richly deserves.

Dr. Pitts is one of 14 members of the NCAA Division II President's Council.