UNC AD: On-field success 'overshadowed' by academic case
In an interview with The Associated Press, athletic director Bubba Cunningham cited high points in a 2014-15 season that included 25 of 28 teams competing in postseason play and an overall 2.96 GPA for athletes.
Most notably, there were lecture classes that didn't meet and were treated as independent study requiring a research paper or two, with an office administrator — not a faculty member — typically handing out high grades.
An investigation by former U.S. Justice Department official Kenneth Wainstein estimated at least 3,100 students were affected between 1993 and 2011, with athletes across numerous sports making up approximately half the enrollment in problem courses.
The NCAA hit UNC with five charges last month, including lack of institutional control for poor oversight of the AFAM department and the academic counselors of athletes.
Highlights included women's lacrosse reaching the NCAA final, field hockey's sixth straight appearance in the national semifinals and the men's and women's basketball teams advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 together for the first time since 2011.
Off the field, a group led by Cunningham and provost James W. Dean Jr. is finishing a nearly two-year review of how UNC handles academics for athletes, from the admissions process to academic support and compliance education.