Spartans Set New Standards in the Classroom
1/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
Jan. 8, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. - In addition to their success this fall on the playing surfaces, the Michigan State University student-athletes exuded Spartan pride in the classroom, setting new academic standards.
"As a Department, we could not be more pleased with the overall academic achievement of our student-athletes," said Associate Athletics Director and Director of Student-Athlete Support Services Jim Pignataro. "Our athletes demonstrated the true meaning of what it means to be a student-athlete and we appreciate their commitment to academic success."
As a whole, the athletic department's fall cumulative grade point average was 2.9326, the highest fall semester average in recorded history, topping the 2.9049 GPA posted during the fall of 2003. In addition, Michigan State set a new high-water mark in number of student-athletes with a perfect 4.0 GPA and a term GPA of 3.0 or higher. During the fall, 49 Spartans earned a perfect 4.0 GPA, shattering the previous high of 40 set last spring, and 348 student-athletes had a GPA of 3.0 or higher, four more than the spring 2001 semester. Currently, 333 MSU student-athletes hold a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, which is the highest number achieved to date.
Thirteen Michigan State teams achieved a semester GPA of 3.0 or higher during the fall. The women's gymnastics team led the way with a 3.6674 GPA, the highest fall GPA in athletic department history, while the men's tennis team had the highest average for the men's team at 3.2270. The Spartan men's basketball team posted its highest term GPA all-time at 3.0212.