With men's basketball and baseball programs setting the pace, Northwestern State's consistently good performance in the NCAA's Graduate Success Rate study continued again with the release of the annual report Wednesday.
 
Demon baseball led the 12 Southland Conference members and was second among the state's 12 Division I baseball programs with a GSR of 86 percent for student-athletes who began college in 2005, topped in state only by Tulane's 95.
 
Demon basketball was second in the Southland and state with a 75 GSR, trailing only Lamar in the conference and just Tulane in Louisiana.
 
Overall, Northwestern student-athletes scored a 68 GSR, which leaves Demon and Lady Demon athletes with a sparkling five-year average score of 72.
 
“The fact that this most recent GSR score keeps us hovering at the 70 percent mark and maintains a five-year GSR average comfortably better than 70 percent is a testament to the emphasis placed on academic success within the NSU athletic program,” said NSU director of athletics Greg Burke. “That five-year average of  72 percent, in fact, should not be taken lightly as it represents a high level of commitment on the part of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff and places our athletic program among an elite number of Division I programs that can say they graduate student-athletes at such a high rate on a consistent basis.”
 
The NCAA developed the GSR in response to the Federal Graduation Rate, which does not take into account the mobility among college student-athletes while measuring graduating rates. The GSR scores include students transferring into the institutions and allows outgoing transfers to be discounted if they leave in good academic standing.
 
“A significant contributing factor towards this effort is in the area of Northwestern State University's strong commitment towards academics, which is a team effort of student, faculty , Athletic Academic staff, and coaches,” said Jody Biscoe, the faculty athletic representative for NSU. “We will continue to strive to achieve the athletic department credo:  Academic Achievement, Personal Responsibility, and Competitive Success…. Every Minute, Every Hour, Every Day.”
 
The performance by men's basketball and baseball at NSU was especially remarkable, said Carrie Crowell, the academic coordinator for NSU Athletics.
 
"In two sports which nationwide struggle academically – baseball and men's basketball - we continue to be  among the top in the conference and state, so we especially congratulate all involved in that outstanding performance,” said Crowell.
 
Lady Demon soccer recorded another strong showing, posting an 86 GSR that is third in the Southland and fourth in the state. Lady Demon softball ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, with an 80 GSR reflecting significant progress since the early years of the GSR review period, said Biscoe.
 
The GSR is one of two standards the NCAA uses to assess academic performance by its Division I member institutions, along with the Academic Progress Rate, released at the end of each spring semester. The GSR was developed two years after the APR.  Crowell said the future study results should be even stronger for NSU.
 
“As GSR studies continue, I am confident our numbers will improve each year, as we get deeper into the cohorts which were more conditioned to adhere to APR standards,” she said.