INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Florida Southern College's Department of Athletics received the NCAA President's Award for Academic Excellence after posting a 91-percent Academic Success Rate for student-athletes graduating within six years of eligibility for the period 2011-14. The Moccasins were one of 43 schools and just one of four Sunshine State Conference schools to be present on the list where the Mocs finished in the top-25 of all Division II institutions.
"This honor is the culmination of hard work by our entire campus community," exclaimed Florida Southern College Director of Athletics and Dean of Wellness
Drew Howard. "Three consecutive years to be honored shows the dedication to provide excellent and complete student-athlete experience. The academic success recognized by this award is a testament to the top quality student-athletes we have at Florida Southern."
The NCAA Academic Success Rate (ASR) is the percentage of student-athletes who graduate within six years of initial college enrollment and includes virtually all Division II student-athletes, including transfers and those not receiving athletic scholarships.
It marks the third straight time for the Moccasins to appear on the NCAA DII ASR list where Florida Southern posted a 91-percent graduation rate from 2011-14 for student-athletes that had graduated within six years of original enrollment.
Florida Southern was joined by Eckerd College, Rollins College, and Barry University as the only four SSC institutions on the 2021 list. The Northeast-10 Conference, Great Lakes Valley Conference, Sunshine State Conference, and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference boast four or more athletics programs with ASRs of 90-percent or higher. In December, the NCAA announced that SSC member institutions combined for an ASR of 88-percent, breaking the league's 10-year streak of 86-percent. The mark places the SSC second among the 23 Division II leagues.
About the Academic Success Rate
Academic Success Rate is the percentage of student-athletes who graduate within six years of initial college enrollment and includes virtually all Division II student-athletes, including transfers and those not receiving athletic scholarships.
The Division II ASR also captures about 45-percent more college athletes than the federal graduation rate. Unlike the Federal Graduation Rate, the ASR also counts student-athletes who transfer to a school after initial enrollment elsewhere and removes from the rate student-athletes who leave school while academically eligible. The national ASR is 76-percent for student-athletes who entered college from 2011 through 2014.
Regardless of which measure is used, Division II college athletes graduate at a higher rate than the general student body. The federal rate for the 2014 entering class of student-athletes was 60-percent, compared to 52-percent for the general student body.
2021 Presidents' Award Recipients
| Institution |
Four-Year ASR |
Conference |
| Bentley University |
99% |
Northeast-10 Conference |
| Saint Michael's College |
99% |
Northeast-10 Conference |
| Biola University |
98% |
Pacific West Conference |
| Hillsdale College |
98% |
Great Midwest Athletic Conference |
| Thomas Jefferson University |
98% |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
| Davenport University |
96% |
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
| Le Moyne College |
96% |
Northeast-10 Conference |
| Rollins College |
96% |
Sunshine State Conference |
| Rockhurst University |
95% |
Great Lakes Valley Conference |
| Seattle Pacific University |
95% |
Great Northwest Athletic Conference |
| Dominican University of California |
94% |
Pacific West Conference |
| Eckerd College |
94% |
Sunshine State Conference |
| Maryville University of Saint Louis |
94% |
Great Lakes Valley Conference |
| Saint Anselm College |
94% |
Northeast-10 Conference |
| Cedarville University |
93% |
Great Midwest Athletic Conference |
| Georgia College |
93% |
Peach Belt Conference |
| Michigan Technological University |
93% |
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
| Point Loma Nazarene University |
93% |
Pacific West Conference |
| Trevecca Nazarene University |
93% |
Great Midwest Athletic Conference |
| University of the Sciences |
93% |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
| Adelphi University |
92% |
Northeast-10 Conference |
| Barry University |
92% |
Sunshine State Conference |
| Davis & Elkins College |
92% |
Mountain East Conference |
| Mercyhurst University |
92% |
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference |
| Regis University (Colorado) |
92% |
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference |
| Stonehill College |
92% |
Northeast-10 Conference |
| Truman State University |
92% |
Great Lakes Valley Conference |
| Western Washington University |
92% |
Great Northwest Athletic Conference |
| Assumption University |
91% |
Northeast-10 Conference |
| Caldwell University |
91% |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
| Colorado Christian University |
91% |
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference |
| Flagler College |
91% |
Peach Belt Conference |
| Florida Southern College |
91% |
Sunshine State Conference |
| Holy Family University |
91% |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
| Lewis University |
91% |
Great Lakes Valley Conference |
| Southern Wesleyan University |
91% |
Conference Carolinas |
| St. Edward's University |
91% |
Lone Star Conference |
| William Jewell College |
91% |
Great Lakes Valley Conference |
| Concordia University, St. Paul |
90% |
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference |
| Converse College |
90% |
Conference Carolinas |
| Saint Martin's University |
90% |
Great Northwest Athletic Conference |
| Southern New Hampshire University |
90% |
Northeast-10 Conference |
| St. Thomas Aquinas College |
90% |
East Coast Conference |
