Several beams stretching toward the sky on Beach Road signal progress on a new academic center for student athletes.

The Rod and Connie French Athletic Academic Center, which will house Student-Athlete Academic Services, is under construction on the site of the recently-demolished Wallace Road office building. Rod and Connie French committed $1.5 million toward the project.

“Construction is going well,” said Donald Reed, associate athletic director for academic and student services. “Every time I drive by, it looks like there’s a new pillar up.”

The academic center will be located on the second floor of the Hixson-Lied Student Success Center, the new home of the Academic Success Center for students, which is scheduled to open in March 2007.

All present academic services will continue to be offered, Reed said. Student athletes can currently participate in life-skills seminars, tutoring, mentoring and various personal development activities. Expanded space at the new center will allow enhancement of sports psychology and academic enrichment programs.

Reed said the new academic center should benefit recruitment.

“We will have a variety of things to offer prospective students and student athletes,” Reed said. “We have a very impressive facility with all the amenities one would need to maximize success, including computer labs, a testing center and academic development and enrichment programs.”

He also said all student athletes participate in some form of academic support.

One of the center’s goals will be to improve Iowa State’s student athlete graduation rates.

Iowa State’s graduation success rate was 68 percent, according to data released Thursday by the NCAA.

The Division 1A overall graduation rate was 76 percent. 2005 was the NCAA’s first year using the graduation rate, which factors transfer students into the final numbers, unlike the federal rankings previously used.

In the Big 12, Baylor’s graduation rate of 90 percent paced the conference.

The University of Oklahoma had the lowest mark at 62 percent.

Despite these numbers, ISU Athletics Director Jamie Pollard said in a press release that the majority of ISU student athletes are excelling in the classroom, and the success center will raise those numbers.

“ISU student athletes continue to excel in the classroom,” Pollard said.

“The total student athlete population had a combined grade point average of 2.98.”