Editorial: Pitt’s new role in ACC should be academic, not just athletic

Pitt is set to join the Atlantic Coast Conference. Pitt is set to join the Atlantic Coast Conference. That means new competition in several different sports. That means leaving an imploding Big East Conference. But what does that mean outside of the sports realm?

Chancellor Mark Nordenberg answered this question before most fans even pondered it. At Sunday night’s press meeting, he discussed the academic benefits of switching conferences, such as strengthening Pitt’s alliance with Wake Forest. The two schools collaborate on regenerative research as part of the Wake Forest-Pittsburgh Consortium.

We know the switch didn’t take place for academic reasons. And before we sound naive, we’ll note that most of the proceeds that the conference switch could generate will likely feed back through the athletic department.

“This is not about playing Monopoly and moving pieces around on the board,” NCAA President Mark Emmert told USA Today about conference-switching. “These are real institutions with real students and real coaches and real programs, and it’s much, much more complex than playing a simple game.”

We agree. And we are hopeful that moving to the ACC will extend benefits to Pitt that reach beyond the sports fields, courts and pools.

Like Emmert said, it’s not just about playing a game. And the NCAA realizes that, too.

The NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate system serves as an annual academic progress report and numerical indicator of Division I collegiate athletics teams’ abilities to graduate their student-athletes. And the ACC is a leading force in those rankings.

Pitt floats in the middle of the Big East pack as it is, but moving to the ACC could mean better things for athletes who aren’t going pro. Student-athletes who take note of the APR system will see that Pitt is becoming part of a conference that dependably retains and graduates them. After all, to most student-athletes, college is important because of the education — and degree — it provides. Period.

We hope Nordenberg meant what he said Sunday night. Pairing up to do research with the likes of Virginia Tech, Duke and UVA would not only further increase Pitt’s internationally renowned reputation as a public-research powerhouse — it would literally make the world a better place. And building this bond up and down the Eastern Seaboard makes it even easier for us to work together within our conference.

We think joining the ACC could be the most important move Pitt makes to assert itself as one of the best colleges — both academically and athletically — in the country. We just hope the academic aspect isn’t thrown aside.