PERSPECTIVES

Higher academic standards overdue at CSU

BY NICK CAMINO

The first month of the Ronald M. Berkman presidential era is nearly over at Cleveland State University, and while he may still be getting acquainted, the first order of business should be raising academic standards at the institution.

Cleveland State hosted the televised democratic presidential debate between Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and President Barack Obama at the Wolstein Center.

Millions watched, with the CSU campus as the setting.

In March, CSU stole the national spotlight when fans’ NCAA Tournament brackets throughout the country were busted by Gary Waters and the No. 13 seeded Vikings who gave the nation a peek at the mid-major power Waters and his staff have created in just three seasons.

Sure, national exposure can only help the university’s image and can and will increase admissions. But will all that glamour actually make this a better institution for higher learning?

In 2005, former President Michael Schwartz ended the open admissions policy, which essentially accepted anyone who applied to go to college. Anyone.

Now, incoming CSU students must have at least a 2.0 GPA along with a score of 18 or higher on the ACT; a very modest standard to not only reach, but surpass. Now however, it is time to raise the bar yet again-something not uncommon at many other universities.

According to businessweek.com, the minimum GPA for high school seniors wanting to attend Ohio State University is 3.00. However, even today those standards have been raised, with the average student needing at least a 3.6 GPA coupled with a 25-26 score on the ACT to be accepted.

Why not attempt that same goal at CSU?

Holding students to a higher academic standard upon arriving at CSU would at least rid the university of any misidentification as a community college, which it is still mistaken for to this day by many in the surrounding communities. Don’t believe it? Go to a suburban high school in Northeast Ohio.

The landscape at CSU will keep getting nicer. The athletic programs that have given CSU national exposure have already gotten better, and should have continued success in the future. And being centrally located in the middle of a large city, this campus may well host other big events again in the future.

Now, how about focusing on the main reason we are here?

Instead of a name change that makes the university sound classier, the concentration should be on making this a better institution in the world of academia. This way a better sounding name and a sports team won’t represent CSU, rather the great education one can earn from this distinguished urban university will instead.

Raise the standards slowly and see the difference it will make in the type of student who decides to try CSU instead of Kent State University or the University of Akron. That alone will change the image that those in charge have desperately longed for.

The future is bright for CSU. It would be even brighter with a plan to finally raise academic standards.