Saint Paul's College gets academic achievement award
USA TODAY/NCAA Foundation Recognize College in National News Story

LAWRENCEVILLE, VA - Saint Paul's College has been recognized by USA TODAY and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for outstanding academic performance for Division II colleges and universities.

Saint Paul's is a recipient of the USA TODAY-NCAA Foundation Academic Achievement Award for 2000-01,

Nationally, Saint Paul's has been chosen as one of the nine inaugural award winners to achieve this prestigious honor, according to the NCAA Foundation in a letter signed jointly by Tom Curley, President and Publisher of USA TODAY, and James T. Morris, Chair, Board of Directors, NCAA Foundation.

Saint Paul's College has been selected as the award recipient of the NCAA Division II "Highest student-athlete graduation rates above the student body average for 1994-2000", the letter states.

Saint Paul's graduation rate was 40 percent above the student-body average. President Thomas M. Law, who is completing his 12th year as president of Saint Paul's, called the selection "a truly significant achievement in that the selection was made from our peer group of colleges and universities nationally and based on standards and data compiled through the U.S. Department of Education and the NCAA."

Among the institution's academic accomplishments are: Last year, and the year prior, the Saint Paul's College Lady Tigers won the All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Academic Team Award; the Men's Basketball Team won the All-CIAA Academic Team in 1998. Among the academic achievers were three coed student-athletes, Miss Portia Joyner, last year's Miss Saint Paul's College, was named to the Commissioner's 1998-2001 All Academic Team(s); Miss Tanika Grant was nominated for the SpeedStick HBCU Scholar Athlete Program, and, additionally, was named to the 1998 Commissioner's All Academic Team; and, this year, Miss Isis Paddyfote was named to the Commissioner's All Academic Team.

Dr. Law had high praise for the Divisions of Academic Affairs and Students Affairs who together designed and operated the College's out-of-class Academic Support System.

Athletic Director LeRoy Bacote said, "While we want to be competitive, the Athletic Department puts the academic welfare of the student athletes first. Our coaches recruit only those students who are interested in earning a College degree through their athletic prowess."

Vice President for Student Affairs Charles Edington, who oversees athletics and enrollment management, said "this notoriety comes at a very critical time and extends a strong, positive message to our current and prospective students. We all should be excited, and proud."

USA TODAY intends to recognize the winning institutions in an announcement and editorial that will to be seen by its more than 4.8 million readers. Additional national media coverage will be given to the recipients through the NCAA and NCAA Foundation media.

The categories and winners are as follows:
Highest student-athlete graduation rates above the student-body average.
Division I Long Island University - Brooklyn
Division II SAINT PAUL'S COLLEGE
Division III Chestnut Hill College

Greatest increase in percentage of student-athletes graduating above the 1993 cohort.
Division I Hofstra University
Division II St. Thomas Aquinas College
Division III York College (PA)

Highest overall percentage of graduating student-athletes
Division I Lehigh University
Division II Southern New Hampshire University
Division III St. Joseph College (CT)

USA TODAY and the NCAA Foundation will co-host an inaugural banquet in honor of the nine winning institutions at the new USA TODAY headquarters in McLean, Virginia (suburban Washington, DC) in late September.

Saint Paul's College, and the other eight first place winners, will receive a $25,000 scholarship to be distributed at each institution's discretion, which will be presented at the September banquet to the President.

Saint Paul's was one of only four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (of the nation's 117) ranked among the 187 institutions listed in the three categories. Among Virginia's colleges and universities, Saint Paul's was one of four to make the list: others were Liberty University, Christopher Newport University and Averett College.

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