Report: How to improve student-athlete academics at Cal

BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- Last year, Chancellor Nick Dirks established the Task Force on Academics and Athletics, a 20-member panel charged with the responsibility of creating a platform at Cal where the academic mission and the intercollegiate athletics program work hand-in-hand.

On Friday, the group released its first report. It's offering up more than 50 recommendations including changes to the admissions standards.

"I realized that we had not been doing everything that we needed to do," admitted Dirks at a press conference at Haas Pavilion Club Room.

The members of the task force presented a list of what they're calling "actionable recommendations." Simply put, they want their student-athletes performance in the classroom to match what they bring to the field.

"Is it possible to offer a someway reduced workload in the season? Can you make that up in the semester that's non-competition?" suggests H. Mike Williams, UC Berkeley Athletic Director.

Among the recommendations is having a full-time recruitment coordinator who can explain to student-athletes what it is like to be at Cal.

They also suggest adjusting courses to accommodate practice times and travel for away-games.

There is even discussion on ways to graduate the athlete before their final semester, "so that an athlete doesn't have to make the decision between going to an NFL camp or an NBA camp and completing their degree," explained Williams.

The university came under fire after an NCAA report revealed that both the Cal football and men's basketball teams graduated fewer than half of their players who enrolled between 2003 and 2007. Among the 72 programs in six major college football conferences, Cal's 44 percent graduation rate is the worst. And there was plenty of shame to go around. Cal's men's basketball team, which finished with 38 percent graduation rate, was the lowest in the Pac-12..

"For our team, academics are a high priority," said Rich Feller. He is the women's volleyball coach and on the task force. His team proudly has a 100 percent graduation rate. "It's just part of the education. My philosophy and coaching is education based, so the academics become a natural part of that," he added.

The task force believes improvement will be a continuous work in progress and they've already started making changes, continuing to adjust what's needed to get each student to their academic goal.