"The Game of Life: Athletics and Academics at St. Olaf College"
Wednesday, April 10
11:45-1:15 - Buntrock 142
Sponsored by CILA and the Physical Education Department
Cindy Book, Athletic Director, and Department Chair; Physical Education Gary Wicks, Director, Campus Recreation, Physical Education; President Chris Thomforde.
The recent book, The Game of Life: College Sports
and Educational Values, by James L. Shulman and William G. Bowen
draws on the Mellon Foundation's large database, "College and
Beyond," to make a number of observations about the changing
role of sports at academically elite
colleges and universities. The authors document, for example, that
athletes now enjoy a large advantage in admissions, more so than
minority applicants and legacies. This is a significant change from
30-40 years ago. Furthermore, in these schools, athletes as a group
underperform academically, yet graduate at high rates.
This session will discuss some of the major highlights of the study, and will explore whether or not St. Olaf College fits the patterns described there.
