CSUN Receives $900,000 Grant from NCAA
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. -
California State University, Northridge has received a $900,000
grant from the NCAA as part of a three-year pilot program aimed at
expanding the academic support services for student-athletes.
The Limited-Resources Institutions Grant Program Pilot, which was
approved by the NCAA Executive Committee earlier this year, was
designed to help institutions with limited resources in their
efforts to improve the graduation rates and academic success of
student-athletes.
“I am so pleased that CSUN has been awarded this grant,
which will enable us to establish the Matador Achievement Center to
provide academic support for more of our student-athletes,”
said CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison. “I enthusiastically
supported the grant proposal because it was based on evidence from
what we have learned in working with one team of student-athletes
and fostering academic success. The Matador Achievement Center is
about continuing to build a culture of academic achievement for our
student-athletes.”
Harrison said the center will continue beyond the three years of
the program pilot grant.
Cal State Northridge was one of six institutions selected to
receive grants as part of the pilot program. The grants ranged from
$330,000 to $900,000 and will be awarded over three years.
Eligibility for the Limited-Resources Institutions Grant Program
was determined by per capita institutional expenditures, per capita
athletics department funding, per capita Pell Grant aid and being a
nonfootball bowl subdivision Division I member,
“As the academic expectations for Division I
student-athletes continue to increase, the NCAA is proud to offer
assistance to those institutions that have demonstrated need and a
plan for using these funds to contribute to student-athlete
success,” said NCAA Executive Vice President Bernard
Franklin. “We hope these institutions will serve as a model
for other schools. This pilot is evidence of the NCAA’s
commitment to the achievement of our member institutions and the
student-athletes on their campuses.”
Grant recipients were selected based on several criteria,
including presidential oversight, involvement of key staff, goals
identified by the institution, the institution’s ability to
match grant funds and demonstrated sustainability of the
initiative.
“Over the past five years, the NCAA has assisted our
Student-Athlete Academic Support Office with smaller grants of
$15,000 to $30,000,” said Ashlie Kite, athletics
administrator in charge. “That funding has allowed us to
develop and expand our mentoring and tutoring offerings. This new
pilot program will allow us to substantially improve our current
resources and allow us the opportunity to develop a new facility
that can specifically focus on academic achievement—a Matador
Achievement Center.”
Kite said the NCAA grant provides funds for space for the center
as well as additions to the academic support team and more
opportunities for mentors and tutors to work one-on-one with
student-athletes.
Associate Athletics Director Janet Pinneau said the university
plans to develop a program that can identify student-athletes who
need academic assistance when they enter the university as
freshmen, and works with them from the start to improve their
performance in the classroom. She said the program will continue to
monitor and support the student-athletes through graduation.
“The impact this grant will have on student-athlete success
will be felt for years to come,” Kite said.