Recruiting system needs reform, Bowen says
In a book published this month, former University president William Bowen GS '58 and coauthor Sarah Levin argue that extensive reforms are needed to combat what they see as a widening divide between the athletic and academic sides of campus life at the nation's top colleges and universities.The book, published by Princeton University Press and titled "Reclaiming the Game: College Sports and Educational Values," presents the findings of a study based on data gathered at 33 of the most academically prestigious institutions in the country, including all members of the Ivy League in addition to well-known liberal arts colleges in the Midwest and western states.The book shares some data with the 2001 book, "The Game of Life," which Bowen co-wrote with James Shulman.The "most striking finding" of the study is that there are significant differences in academic performance not just between recruited athletes and non-athletes but also between recruited athletes and walk-on athletes, Bowen said in an interview.This distinction was not made in "The Game of Life," which focused on aggressive recruitment of athletes, the admissions advantages they receive and underperformance in the classroom.The study found that recruited athletes who were included on a coach's list at the admissions office earn far lower grades than both their fellow athletes who were walk-ons and other students, Bowen said.The study also found that recruited athletes earn far lower grades than what might be expected based on their incoming academic credentials, he added."I think the reason is that, perfectly understandably, they're more focused on their sports," he said."Coaches naturally zero in on people who are going to focus more on athletics," he said.The study also found that athletes tend to pursue study in social science and business, spend large amounts of time together even outside of the formal demands of membership on a team, limit extracurricular activity to their sport and live with other athletes, according to a press release about the book.The findings of the study suggest there are significant problems with the system of athletic recruitment, Bowen said.There are notable "opportunity costs" resulting from the current system, Bowen said.