Author: Scott Hirko

SFgate.com reported on the endeavor by University of California at Berkeley (UC) Chancellor Robert Birgeneau to begin discussions among a new panel of stakeholders to find ways to make the athletics department less dependent on institutional support. The panel includes philanthropic supporters of university athletics who will work side-by-side with faculty from the Academic Senate.…

The Maine Campus reported that the University of Maine athletics department is projected to report a loss of $7.3 million in the fiscal year 2009-2010. In the article, the cost of athletics was put into contrast with the spending for instructional support, which has steadily decreased over time. The paper noted that the institution allocated…

In late March, the Iowa Board of Regents voted to consider eliminating or reducing the use of general fund money (revenue from taxpayers and students) for intercollegiate athletics. The Des Moines Register reported on the debate as athletic departments in the state’s three largest public universities — the University of Iowa (U of I), Iowa…

A commentary from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, posted on ESPN on March 25, 2010: “It is time to boost graduation rates for a number of NCAA tournament basketball teams with poor academic records and indefensible disparities in the grad rates of white and black players. In 2001, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics…

At its most recent meeting, the NCAA Division I Leadership Council discussed a variety of cost-saving measures that would be broad enough to help both larger and smaller institutions. However, the NCAA News reported that the board members “also believed that the topic needed a more expansive approach to make real headway toward reducing expenses.”…

On the heels of the 2010 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education, published comments on the need for American major colleges and universities to impose policies which prohibit postseason competition of teams who fail to graduate at least 40% of their athletes. Stated Secretary Duncan, “It’s a low bar, frankly,…

The Raleigh News Observer published a commentary by Richard Hain, who discussed the concerns about the significant amount of institutional support for football and men’s basketball programs.  Hain provides his ideas for a national approach to help universities realign their athletics programs with their educational mission.  Richard is a mathematics professor at Duke University. “DURHAM…

Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal highlighted the Knight Commission’s 2009 presidential survey report in a commentary about the economic challenges in college sports. Author Connie Zotos stated that the report “confirms my belief that there are three issues that have existed for a long time that could best be described as collective and unwarranted…

The Miami Herald reported on the increasing use of student fees as one of several forms of subsidization used by colleges to pay for their athletics programs. The use of student fees is particularly significant at institutions without access to large amounts of revenue. At Florida International University (FIU), student fees are $14.51 per credit…