The place was just packed, lots of good info. They had a bunch of speakers that gave a ton of information. Funny thing, they never bashed any of the other options of there, they just talked about thier league. Different from the USHL/NCAA/PROSPECT people of the world. Makes you wonder sometime about all the negative recruiting out there.

Joe Birch is a class act and well educated...with people like him as a spokes person the league gets better...I agree, well done! Further, it is always nice to show by example, that there is life outside of hockey...ie the second speaker who got his education through the O and is now an executive with General Motors.

Joe Birch, or Bob Turow with all his "studies". Who do you trust?? Here is something for you to think about.



When The News dug further, however, speaking to athletes and former athletic department employees as part of a seven-month investigation that included interviewing 87 people and reviewing more than 3,500 pages of internal documents, a different picture emerged:

Key player

John Hagen
Psychology professor
• Why he's important: Taught at least 251 independent study classes to Michigan varsity athletes from fall 2004 to fall 2007, with much of the course content directed at improving students' learning skills.
• What he's saying: "I view (learning disabilities) and being a student athlete both as potential risk categories. Students with learning disabilities just have to spend more time at whatever they're doing. Student athletes often have less time to spend than they would like to be able to spend."

• Michigan athletes described being steered to Hagen's courses by their athletic department academic counselors and, in some cases, earning three or four credits for meeting with Hagen for as little as 15 minutes every two weeks.
• Three former athletic department employees said Hagen's independent study courses are sometimes used by academic support staff to boost the grade point averages of athletes in danger of becoming academically ineligible to compete in sports.

• Athletes have enrolled in independent studies with Hagen several weeks beyond the normal deadline to add classes, which is 21 days after a semester begins. For example, in the winter 2005 semester that began Jan. 5 and ended April 19, two football players enrolled in independent studies with Hagen on March 18.

• The amount of time some athletes said they spent on independent study work fell short of guidelines listed on the psychology department's Web site.

• The News analyzed transcripts from 29 athletes who are either currently enrolled at Michigan, or left the school within the past three years. Twenty one of the athletes took 32 graded courses from Hagen - 25 independent study courses and seven standard classes. They averaged a grade of 3.62 in the professor's courses, compared to an overall grade point average of 2.57 in the athletes' other classes. No athlete received a grade worse than a B-minus from Hagen.

• At least 48 athletes have taken two or more independent study courses with Hagen; nine of those 48 have taken three or more.

• Athletes from every varsity sport except women's water polo and cross country - including 22 members of last fall's football team and eight members of this year's hockey team - have taken independent studies with Hagen since fall of 2004.

Quarterback Chad Henne, wideout Mario Manningham, hockey player Chad Kolarik and softball ace Jennie Ritter are just a few of the Wolverines who have taken independent studies with Hagen, as have Jake Long and Shawn Crable, two of the captains on last season's football team.

When asked what they learned in Hagen's courses, some athletes described being taught how to take notes, use a day planner, make a calendar and manage their time.

In many cases, athletes said the main content of these courses was study skills and time management, although Hagen called the material "learning styles."

Key players

Mary Sue Coleman
President
• Why she's important: Leads the university, which has approximately 26,000 undergraduate students on its Ann Arbor campus and a general fund budget of $1.35 billion for the current fiscal year.
• What she's saying: Coleman refused to be interviewed in person or by phone for this story. The News did not accept her offer to respond to questions via e-mail.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Martin
Athletic director
• Why he's important: Runs the athletic department, which sponsors 25 varsity sports and has budgeted revenues of $87.4 million for the current fiscal year.
• What he's saying: Martin refused to be interviewed for the story, calling it an "academic" issue.

University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman and athletic director Bill Martin refused repeated requests to be interviewed in person or on the phone about Hagen or the athletic department's academic support program. A university spokesman said Coleman was too busy to be interviewed, but eventually offered to answer questions via e-mail. The News declined.
When first interviewed last fall, Hagen initially denied teaching a high percentage of independent study classes to athletes.

But when shown class enrollment lists by The News, he did not dispute their accuracy. Nor did he disagree with the general descriptions of course work, which were provided by athletes.

Hagen disagreed with three former athletic department employees who said his courses are sometimes used to help keep athletes eligible.

"If I thought that, I wouldn't do it," said Hagen, who has taught at Michigan since 1965. "I mean, that's ridiculous. I've worked too hard to get where I am."

Hagen is 'a safety net'
Last June, six weeks before football practice began, Perry Dorrestein, an offensive tackle, was below the 1.8 cumulative grade point average required by the Big Ten Conference to be eligible to participate in college athletics.

Dorrestein, at the time about to enter his sophomore year, said the football team's academic counselor encouraged him to request an independent study over the summer term with Hagen. By mid-August, Dorrestein had received an A in the four-credit course, raising his grade point average to 1.91, above the 1.8 that permitted him to successfully appeal to be allowed to play football.

Hagen, Dorrestein said, helped him improve his study habits and take better notes, meeting with the football player and other athletes for a half hour once or twice a week during the six-week session. Dorrestein estimates he spent three to four hours per week on material related to the course outside of class.

Michigan has a program intended to help students who need to improve skills such as time management, critical writing, and note taking - the Comprehensive Studies Program. But most CSP courses are worth two credits and are not graded, so they could not have raised Dorrestein's grade point average.

"It was beneficial to learn from it," Dorrestein said of Hagen's independent study class. "It was beneficial for the A."

Eligible to play this fall, Dorrestein moved into a backup role and appeared in four games.

Two former athletic department employees familiar with Michigan's Academic Success Program - the department's tutoring and advising arm - said this is typical of how athletes are sometimes funneled into Hagen's independent study classes by those charged with helping them balance academics and athletics.

Key players

Shari Acho
Co-director of the athletic department's Academic Support Program.
• Why she's important: Hagen and athletes said she helped place them in independent study classes taught by the professor.
• What she's saying: "I don't direct anybody to any classes. The only involvement I have in course scheduling is if there's time management issues."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sue Shand
Co-director of the Academic Success Program.
• Why she's important: Hagen and athletes said she helped place them in independent study classes taught by the professor.
• What she's saying: Repeated requests by The News to speak with Shand were denied.
The former employees, granted anonymity by The News because they were concerned that Michigan officials might try to damage their professional reputations, said Shari Acho and Sue Shand, co-directors of the Academic Success Program, have relied on Hagen's independent studies for years to keep athletes with low grades eligible, and they told other athletic counselors to do the same.
"He was used as a safety net," a former employee said. "... The Hagen thing wasn't a secret. One of the first options, probably the first option always ... was John Hagen - 'See if we can get John to take another.' "

Steve King, who lettered in football at Michigan from 1993 to 1996, worked in the Academic Success Program from 1998 to 2000. His tenure overlapped with Shand, but not Acho.

As a player, he took an independent study with Hagen, which he described as a loosely structured course in which he picked a topic and wrote a paper.

Later, while working in an academic support role, he saw Hagen's independent study classes used - along with other courses - to keep athletes eligible.

"I would say it does happen," said King, now a certified financial planner in Chicago. "You would hope that advisers are putting kids in classes that are toward their degree, (that) it's not a random class. There were quite a few guys taking independent studies with him."

Hagen said he and the athletic department's academic counselors "try to work as a team on things," and that often involves communicating with Acho and Shand about which athletes should take his courses.

All i can say is; wow

sorry buddy, but a degree from Michigan is worth more than banging puck bunnies in Sudbury

Sure it is, 15 minutes a week independant study courses, you get an "A", that will really help you in the long run!!!

The kid from Sudbury will then go to an CIS school(like all the players playing in the CIS Championship this weekend out east) play 4 more years of hockey, get his school paid for.

But you are right, those no work, joke of a course independant studies will get you ahead!!

Seems to me that a degree in Canada and a degree in the states is all the same.Having your resume include that you played in the O in Ontario along with your degree sounds like a good thing to me, because people can relate to that better in this province.Am I wrong, just my take on it if I was the one hiring for my company here in Ontario.I could be wrong, maybe all the boss's out there can chime in on this?

I am sure your kid will get hired for a job at Bell or Rogers because he played in the OHL......keep dreaming buddy.........also.......like it or not U of Michigan is rate much better than any university in Canada........don't believe the propaganda of the OHL about the independent study courses.......tutoring is part of the NCAA experience.....too bad 90% of the OHL players will not see the inside of a university

YOU SHOULD TELL THE TRUTH..............SOMEBODY TRIED TO DISCREDIT HIM AND U OF MICHIGAN (JEALOUSY) AND THEY WERE PROVED WRONG...



But a report in Sunday's Ann Arbor News suggests otherwise.

Professor John Hagen's association with athletes and the "seemingly large number of student-athletes" in his independent study courses were examined in a report conducted by an associate dean of the university's literature, science and arts department.

The report, spurred by a professor's concerns, was released Dec. 12, 2007, and updated March 12.

It found "not only that there is nothing about Professor Hagen's independent study program that should concern us, but that in fact he is performing a valuable service for the students in those studies and to the university by having them available."

The investigation was exposed by the Ann Arbor News in a story Sunday. The News' report mentioned that a large number of athletes have taken Hagen's independent studies: All but two sports have athletes who have taken at least one and 48 athletes have taken two or more.

After analyzing the transcripts of 29 athletes, the News found a significant disparity between grades received in Hagen's courses and marks from other professors.

"The article appearing in Sunday's Ann Arbor News ... is the outcome of 'seven months of investigation,' trying to discredit the University of Michigan and its student athletes," Hagen said in a released statement. "So after several months, they have put together whatever they could find -- a net full (of) minnows."

Hagen added that there were "many misstatements of fact, several blatant errors and the use of information completely out of context."

"At a later time, I shall provide a full reply, but now I will say that I am very proud of my 40-plus years teaching hundreds of doctoral and thousands of undergraduate students," he added.

Both U-M president Mary Sue Coleman and athletic director Bill Martin were not quoted in the News report because they refused to submit to direct interviews and would only accept e-mail questions, which the News did not pursue.

Athletic department spokesman Bruce Madej said that only a student's academic adviser, unaffiliated with the athletic department, can formally enroll a student.

The News reported that psychology professor Scott Paris approached the university's provost office in August 2007 with concerns about Hagen, leading to the initial investigation.

A second investigation of Hagen was conducted by the executive committee of the psychology department and released in January.

That second report found that there was no pattern in Hagen's grades to show he "treats student-athletes differently from non-athletes."

The executive committee's examination of Hagen also found that the way he grades was consistent with the rest of the department, that the content of his independent study courses "was appropriate" and that students did the work required by the class.

"I feel very good about the internal analysis that were done both by the dean's office and the psychology department executive committee," said Phil Hanlon, Michigan's vice provost for academic and budgetary affairs who also helps oversee the athletic department's Academic Success program. "Both of those were thorough and were fair, I think."

Madej would not say if the athletic department planned to conduct an examination of Hagen. But on Sunday Madej did say that "anytime any issue is brought to the forefront -- right or wrong -- the athletic department always takes a closer look at it."

The News also reported that some athletes were admitted to Hagen's independent study classes after the university's drop/add deadline.

U-M took a proactive approach to independent study courses in August 2006, following a New York Times article questioning Auburn's courses. The U-M provost, Teresa Sullivan, asked a number of campus deans to analyze their independent study processes and, according to Hanlon, "everything was in place."

Contact MARK SNYDER at 313-223-3210 or msnyder@freepress.com. Check out his Wolverines blog at www.freep.com/sports.

a professor at a US college allegedly goes easy on students with athletic scholarships, and that somehow means that all NCAA programs are worse than all Major Junior programs? When are people going to accept that every situation is different? Depends on the student, depends on the athlete, depends on the college, and depends on the team. Way too many factors involved to say one size fits all for either option. First response quoted "the news"... please tell me people aren't referring to the scouting news for any serious journalism! Boycott the Scouting News.

most of the athletes take human kinetics or other bird courses, ever take human kinetics at York......let's play volleball class.........doesn't get easier

just shows how ignorant you are. a human kinetics degree means having to take chemistry,physics,calculus and biology just for starters ,hardly what many birds find interesting

Must have got his degree at the same div.1 school as PAC-MAN JONES or all these other brilliant NFL players.lol

Where are the elite hockey programs????

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100 4.9 2 98% 96% 96% 0 3 72% 10% 5/1 93% 3 1370-1590 94% 5 10% 12 1 60%
2. Harvard University (MA)
99 4.9 1 98% 94% 98% +4 3 69% 13% 7/1 92% 1 1390-1590 95% 9% 8 6 41%
3. Yale University(CT)

4. Stanford University(CA)

5. University of Pennsylvania

5. California Institute of Technology

7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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9. University of Chicago

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23. University of Virginia *

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25. University of Michigan—Ann Arbor *

27. University of Southern California

28. University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill *

28. Tufts University(MA)

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31. Lehigh University(PA)

31. Brandeis University(MA)

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42. University of Washington *

42. University of California—Davis *

44. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute(NY)

44. University of Texas—Austin *

44. University of California—Santa Barbara *

44. University of California—Irvine *

48. Pennsylvania State University—University Park *

49. University of Florida *

50. Syracuse University(NY)

50. Tulane University(LA)

52. Yeshiva University(NY)

52. University of Miami(FL)

54. Pepperdine University(CA)

54. George Washington University(DC)

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57. Boston University

59. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey—New Brunswick(NJ) *

59. University of Pittsburgh *

59. University of Georgia *

62. Texas A&M University—College Station *

62. Worcester Polytechnic Institute(MA)

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64. University of Iowa *

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67. Clemson University(SC) *

67. Southern Methodist University(TX)

71. University of Minnesota—Twin Cities *

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71. Michigan State University *

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79. Brigham Young University—Provo(UT)

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79. University of Colorado—Boulder *

82. St. Louis University

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82. Marquette University(WI)

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85. North Carolina State University—Raleigh *

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85. American University(DC)

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91. University of Nebraska—Lincoln *

91. University of Tulsa(OK)

91. Clark University(MA)

96. Auburn University(AL) *

96. SUNY—Stony Brook *

96. University of Tennessee *

96. University of Vermont *

96. University of Arizona *

96. University of the Pacific(CA)

96. University of California—Riverside *

96. Howard University(DC)

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96. Northeastern University(MA)

96. University of Massachusetts—Amherst *

107. University of San Diego

108. University of New Hampshire *

108. Texas Christian University

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108. University of Oklahoma *

112. University of South Carolina—Columbia *

112. University of Oregon *

112. Loyola University Chicago

112. University of Dayton(OH)

112. Florida State University *

112. Ohio University *

118. University of Missouri—Rolla *

118. Samford University(AL) 11

118. Washington State University *

118. University at Buffalo—SUNY *

122. University of Kentucky *

122. Catholic University of America(DC)

124. New Jersey Institute of Technology *

124. Clarkson University(NY)

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124. Michigan Technological University *

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