Liberty responds to the NCAA after they took some scholarships away from LU. Jeff Barber had a press conference to the actions that took place from the NCAA.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe, at Liberty University, are committed to success in the classroom and the graduation of our student-athletes,\u201d said Jeff Barber, Liberty University Director of Athletics. \u201cWomen\u2019s basketball, soccer and volleyball have set the standard for what we desire all our programs to achieve academically.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In anticipation of today\u2019s announcement, the Athletics Department self imposing the NCAA sanctioned penalty early by reducing the number of scholarships for the 2007-08 academic year by one. The program will also be subject to a scholarship reduction for the 2008-09 year, concluding the NCAA penalties.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, from the years of 2003-04 through 2006-07, we had a substantial number of men\u2019s basketball players leave our program,\u201d continued Barber. \u201cIn addition, nearly all left Liberty academically ineligible according to NCAA standards. The combination of these two factors resulted in our low APR score for this program.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, our department has been extremely proactive in dealing with this and has made the needed improvements to place this program in a position to succeed in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the support from the institution, the Academic Affairs for Athletics Office created three study spaces for student-athlete academic success,\u201d remarked Beitz. \u201cSpecifically, men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball have a new dedicated space, complete with desktop and laptop computers, tutorial rooms and a study lab.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese improvements will allow all of our student-athletes at Liberty University the opportunity to succeed in the classroom and to face the unique challenge of achieving academically, as well as athletically.\u201d<\/p>\n
Staff increases have been named to the Office of Academic Affairs for Athletics, resulting in increased individualized support to all athletics programs. Additionally, facility space has been dedicated specifically to academic support, including tutorial space, computer recourses and accessibility. The department has also created a comprehensive study hall program across all athletics teams, with expanded tutorial support services.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Liberty responds to the NCAA after they took some scholarships away from LU. Jeff Barber had a press conference to the actions that took place…<\/p>\n