Higgins | Education comes on and off the field for Penn Athletics

W hen was the last time you heard of a Penn athlete who achieved national celebrity status? For most current Penn students, the answer to this question is probably “never.”

This is not necessarily a problem of student apathy towards Penn Athletics, however, but rather a reflection of Penn’s priorities as a university. Penn is, first and foremost, an academic institution. With the notable exception of the Penn Relays, the University’s sports garner hardly any national attention. Penn’s star athletes stride in anonymity beside us down Locust — only their red PowerAde water bottles hint at their athletic prowess.

At first glance, Penn’s model for athletics does not differ too much from any other university. The University fields 31 sports teams with about 10 percent of its student body competing in NCAA Division I athletics. But the Penn athletic community is made up of student-athletes.

This distinction is evident in the mission statement of Penn Athletics. It reads, “The University of Pennsylvania is dedicated to providing a wide array of athletic opportunities on both the intercollegiate and recreational levels, which will enhance and enrich the educational experience of our students, as well as provide recreational and fitness facilities and activities for the entire University community.”

Now compare that with the strategic purpose of the University of Florida, an SEC school with a long list of NCAA titles: “Provide a championship experience with integrity on and off the field for student-athletes and the Gator Nation.”

Notice how the first priority set forth in Penn’s mission statement is the “educational experience” of students, whereas Florida’s emphasizes the “championship experience.” In fact, Penn does not express its commitment to excellence in athletics until the third and final sentence of its mission statement:

This commitment to academics is exactly what makes the Penn athletic community special.

Just consider the numbers: According to data collected by the U.S. Department of Education, in Division I athletics, 82 percent of freshmen scholarship student-athletes who entered college in 2004 successfully graduated. Although Penn does not offer athletic scholarships, 96 percent of the University’s student-athletes enrolling as of 2004 graduated.

The Red and Blue’s success does not stop there. Seventeen of Penn’s 28 eligible teams received Public Recognition commendations from the NCAA for maintaining academic indexes in the top 10 percent among all Division I programs in their sport, according to a press release by the University on July 1, 2014.

Furthermore, this element of academic excellence is one of Penn’s biggest assets in recruiting. What better way to sell our school to prospective student-athletes than as a top-ranked national university. While winning Ivy League crowns may be in the back of recruits’ minds, the gleam of a conference title is not as bright as the educational value that comes with a Penn degree.

Here in the Ivy League, we pride ourselves in doing it all — strong academics, strong athletics, strong communities. Penn may not be able to keep up with the big-name programs that haul in millions of dollars in television broadcasting contracts, whose players’ fame reaches supernova proportions matched only by professional athletes.

But college sports aren’t about who has the most Twitter followers or how frequently your name is searched on Google. It’s about the lessons you learn, both on the field and in the classrooms. Or, as the University’s mission statement puts it, it is about “individual balance between the academic and athletic experience.”

From looking at the academic success of Penn’s student-athletes, it is clear that our student-athletes don’t need to be regulars on ESPN’s College Gameday to be outstanding individuals — you don’t need fame to be respected.

And although Penn’s student-athletes may be unsung heroes when it comes to their accomplishments on the playing field, they are heroes nonetheless.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.