Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics
WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State student-athletes set a school record with a 3.406 cumulative grade-point average for the Spring 2023 semester. It was also the 36th-consecutive semester of earning higher than a 3.00 cumulative grade-point average.
In August of 2022, Wichita State Athletics established a bold and aggressive set of five-year strategic objectives. Academically - beginning the Fall of 2022 semester and concluding the Spring of 2027 semester - Wichita State Athletics aspires to achieve a department-wide 3.0 GPA all 10 semesters, a department-wide 3.30 GPA five out of the next 10 semesters and a department-wide 3.40 GPA once out of the next 10 semesters. The Spring of 2023 accomplished all three of these objectives, after achieving a "never been done before" department-wide GPA of 3.406.
"Today's record-breaking announcement, achieving a 'first ever' department-wide GPA above a 3.4, brings great joy to our department, University and community," said Director of Athletics Kevin Saal. "Our student-athletes, coaches, support staff and administration have consistently prioritized elite academic performance. Over half of our student-athletes identify as first-generation college students, so these results represent generational and transformational change not only within their families but also collectively within our athletics department family."
Of the 198 student-athletes on the honor roll (above a 3.0), 45 earned a perfect 4.0 GPA, while 124 were named to the Dean's List (3.5 GPA) and 182 were named Shocker Scholars (3.2 GPA). Eighty-six percent of student-athlete grades were either an A or a B.
"The Shocker Athletics Scholarship Organization (SASO) is critical to connecting young people from all walks of life to a higher education degree," Saal said. "Athletics represents unique classrooms through which young people are equipping to launch as leaders of character, competence, and consequence for life. Our gratitude and appreciation for hundreds of generous SASO contributors cannot be overstated. Thank you for fueling our mission to develop young people and programs through intercollegiate athletics at Wichita State University."
If you would like to enhance your current contribution to SASO or make a new contribution to assist in providing the best educational experience for our student-athletes, please call the SASO Office at 316-978-7276 or email at [email protected].