The preliminary findings of a report released this month on graduation rates at NCAA Division III institutions came as no surprise to Fredonia State officials. The NCAA polled 115 of its 444 Division III institutions and found that members of their athletic teams outranked the general student population in federal graduation rates, 66 percent to 63 percent, through the summer of 2010. The NCAA did not select Fredonia State to take part in the study, yet the university collated its own numbers and found that its graduation rates show a similar pattern of student-athlete success. Over a 10-year span ending in the summer of 2009, 71.9 percent of Blue Devil team members have earned their degrees compared to 59.3 percent of all students (student-athletes included).
