The new three-year plan released by Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham does well to emphasize high achievement for all UNC varsity student athletes both in competition and in the classroom.
The plan should be applauded for its holistic approach to fulfilling the University’s mission.
By uniting the athletic, academic and administrative realms of the University in a series of priorities for athletics at UNC, Cunningham and his staff have taken a step in the positive direction.
One of the more eye-catching goals detailed in the plan includes the objective of finishing top-3 in the conference and top-10 nationally both academically and athletically in every sport.
But a plan alone doesn’t ensure integrity. The athletic department — and the University in general — must be serious and vigilant about making the plan succeed.
In the wake of a humiliating NCAA investigation and probation of the football team, it only makes sense to seek a future devoid of all NCAA investigations.
The plan is wise to include all varsity teams, making a strong statement that all 13 men’s and 15 women’s sports at UNC matter and should therefore be held accountable and valued — not just football and basketball.
The academic priority of the plan includes academically supporting student athletes pre-enrollment, during school and after their college years. Ideally, this sort of support would foster an environment where academic fraud isn’t just wrong, but unnecessary.
The last two years have seen an athletic department in the crucible of national scandal. Although, according to the Martin Report, the scandal was academic and not athletic, it’s reassuring to see the athletic department keen to prevent future scandal.
