Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/42688
Charlotte On March 2, 1975, the idea of what is now the Atlantic 10 Conference was conceived. What started as an eight-school, men's basketball-only affiliation has grown into a 14-university, 21-sport league that is universally hailed as one of the best conferences in the country. That growth and prominence is a direct result of the ideals and commitments of the member institutions of the Atlantic 10. The 14 member institutions of the A-10 are united and strengthened by their diversity. Each is extraordinary in its educational mission, whether of a Catholic faith, a private university or a land grant institu- tion. The varied pursuits of each member prove that there are many threads that weave the fabric for a great conference. Following a standout career as a student-athlete, Berna- dette V. McGlade has dedicated nearly 30 years as both a coach and administrator to the enhancement of the student- athlete experience. She has aggressively embarked upon new challenges and possibilities in an effort to preserve and promote the excellence and integrity of collegiate athletics. Named the fifth full-time commissioner of the Atlantic 10 Conference on June 2, 2008, McGlade, in unison with the Council of Presidents and directors of athletics began working to shape the image and branding of the league and further position the A-10 as the best non-BCS conference in the country. McGlade quickly embraced the pride and com- mitment of each institution, and enthusiastically announced - Fully 1,297 fall-semester and 1,329 spring-semester student-athletes were recog- nized on the A-10 Commis- sioner's Honor Roll last year, recording a grade point aver- age of 3.5 or higher. - A total teams from the league's 21 sponsored of 189 sports sports met or surpassed the national con- ference average in the latest NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR). - The A-10 boasted 79 teams with perfect graduation rates, with five schools turning in rates of 90 percent or better. Volleyball that the finals of the Men's Basketball Championship would be aired nationally on CBS on Selection Sunday for the first time in league history, beginning in 2010. The presidents and chancellors of Atlantic 10 institutions, in conjunction with Commissioner McGlade, have made a strong commitment to making the academic and athlet- ics equation a successful one. Over the years, the league membership has strived to better recognize the academic accomplishments of its student-athletes. The league sponsors Academic All- Conference teams in each of its sports and honors one student-athlete per sport as the A-10 Student-Athlete of the Year. Moreover, the Atlantic 10 provides four postgraduate scholarship grants to quali- fied student-athletes. Charlotte swept the 2011 Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year honors when Darius Law (Men's Track and Field) and MEgan Minnix (Women's Soccer) captured the league awards. In all, 56 teams from A-10 institutions were honored with public recognition awards for their latest multi-year Academic Progress Rates (APR) in data released by the NCAA. Twelve of the 14 league schools had at least one team recognized. This report is based on NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) data submitted by each institution for the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09 academic years.