Maryville University Wins NCAA Division II Award with 100 percent Graduation Rates

3/15/13

St. Louis, Mo. –Maryville University of St. Louis is the only university in the country to receive the NCAA Division II President’s Award for Academic Success with a 100 percent, four-year graduation rate for its student athletes.

The announcement, made yesterday (March 14), includes Maryville among 26 Division II colleges and universities that received the award for academic success rates of 90 percent or higher.

Maryville University President Mark Lombardi said the honor reflects Maryville’s vision of being one of the outstanding private universities in the country. “This is an important recognition of the outstanding quality of our student-athletes, coaching staff and faculty as they all pursue excellence inside and outside the classroom,” he said.

It is another indication that Maryville University’s national reputation is growing.

U.S. News & World Report ranked Maryville the No. 1 over-performing university in the country in December. Maryville is one of only three St. Louis institutions in the national universities category to achieve ranked status in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges – 2013 publication.

Simon Fraser University in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada also received honors with a 100 percent graduation mark. It is the NCAAs first international member institution.

Pat O’Brien, president of West Texas A&M University and chair of the Division II Presidents Council said, “This is the second year for this award and the first in which any institution has reported an Academic Success Rate of 100 percent. Maryville and Simon Fraser deserve enormous credit for achieving such excellence over a four-year period. In fact, all of the institutions on the list deserve a high degree of respect.”

Maryville University Athletics Director Marcus Manning said the award reflects Maryville’s commitment to its student athletes. “Experiencing success in the classroom and ultimately graduating is all part of the transformational experience Maryville students should have,” he said. “This is a great honor and it reflects who we are and what we value.”

Maryville University is a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. William Jewell College, another GVLC member institution, was also recognized with a 99 percent academic success rate.

Some 26 schools received accolades from the Division II Academic Requirements Committee. The division’s Academic Success Rate measures graduation rates for student athletes, including transfer students and those not receiving athletically related financial aid. The inclusion of student athletes who do not receive athletically related financial aid distinguishes the Division II model from Division I’s Graduation Success Rate.

Media Contact

Janet Edwards, Editorial Content Specialist, Marketing and Community Relations, 314-529-9347 (office), jedwards@maryville.edu, 314-249-7982 (cell).