Iowa Regent Suggests UNI drop Scholarship FB
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 3:03 pm
Regent, UNI debate scholarship football
Cedar Falls, Ia. — Northern Iowa officials need to examine the financial viability of continuing the school's scholarship football program, a member of the State Board of Regents suggested Thursday.
"Sooner or later, UNI is going to have to address scholarship football," Michael Gartner, told Ben Allen, school president, during a discussion of the school's proposed budget cuts for the current academic year.
Gartner, owner of the Iowa Cubs and a Regent member, has been critical of Northern Iowa's reliance on large amounts of general fund assistance to finance its 18-sport athletic department. But he insisted he wasn't expressing an opinion about whether the scholarship program should continue, be dropped or downgraded to a nonscholarship level.
"Eventually it's an issue that has to be addressed because so much tuition and general appropriation money goes into the athletic department at UNI in contrast to ISU and the University of Iowa," Gartner said.
Allen had no immediate response to Gartner's comment.
But Troy Dannen, Northern Iowa athletic director, said all Panther athletic programs are scrutinized not only for the individual financial viability, but also the overall impact that each program has financially on department revenues and expenses.
He said a decision to go to nonscholarship football would likely result in a huge drop in the program's visibility and popularity. He said that the one nonscholarship program in Iowa, at Drake, averages only about $50,000 annually in ticket sales and compared that to the $800,000 generated by the Panther football team, which advanced last season to the semifinals of the FCS playoffs.
Last year, Northern Iowa dropped its 103-year-old baseball program because of budget problems.
Dannen said the department will receive $4.6 million in general fund and student fee money - $1 million less than the year before. Northern Iowa's current budget calls for the spending of $11.5 million - substantially smaller than Iowa State's $43.2 million budget and Iowa's $65 million.
Iowa State athletics is to receive $3 million this year from the school's general fund. Meanwhile, Iowa athletic officials insist they receive no general money, but Regent budget documents show $882,000 is to be paid from the general fund. School officials say that amount is a refund paid to the athletic department for scholarship money paid to the school.
"We have only one program that generates revenue, and that is men's basketball," Dannen said. "But our scholarship football program is crucial to our commitment to decrease our reliance on general fund money."
For example, Dannen said, a recently signed 10-year advertising rights package with Learfield Sports valued at an average of $1 million annually likely would be lost if the school dropped scholarship football.
In addition, Dannen said there is no likelihood that Iowa or Iowa State would play a nonscholarship Northern Iowa football team. That would mean the loss of $325,000 alone next year for the Panthers' scheduled game against Iowa State and the loss of $500,000 from Iowa in its next scheduled game.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... 003/SPORTS
Cedar Falls, Ia. — Northern Iowa officials need to examine the financial viability of continuing the school's scholarship football program, a member of the State Board of Regents suggested Thursday.
"Sooner or later, UNI is going to have to address scholarship football," Michael Gartner, told Ben Allen, school president, during a discussion of the school's proposed budget cuts for the current academic year.
Gartner, owner of the Iowa Cubs and a Regent member, has been critical of Northern Iowa's reliance on large amounts of general fund assistance to finance its 18-sport athletic department. But he insisted he wasn't expressing an opinion about whether the scholarship program should continue, be dropped or downgraded to a nonscholarship level.
"Eventually it's an issue that has to be addressed because so much tuition and general appropriation money goes into the athletic department at UNI in contrast to ISU and the University of Iowa," Gartner said.
Allen had no immediate response to Gartner's comment.
But Troy Dannen, Northern Iowa athletic director, said all Panther athletic programs are scrutinized not only for the individual financial viability, but also the overall impact that each program has financially on department revenues and expenses.
He said a decision to go to nonscholarship football would likely result in a huge drop in the program's visibility and popularity. He said that the one nonscholarship program in Iowa, at Drake, averages only about $50,000 annually in ticket sales and compared that to the $800,000 generated by the Panther football team, which advanced last season to the semifinals of the FCS playoffs.
Last year, Northern Iowa dropped its 103-year-old baseball program because of budget problems.
Dannen said the department will receive $4.6 million in general fund and student fee money - $1 million less than the year before. Northern Iowa's current budget calls for the spending of $11.5 million - substantially smaller than Iowa State's $43.2 million budget and Iowa's $65 million.
Iowa State athletics is to receive $3 million this year from the school's general fund. Meanwhile, Iowa athletic officials insist they receive no general money, but Regent budget documents show $882,000 is to be paid from the general fund. School officials say that amount is a refund paid to the athletic department for scholarship money paid to the school.
"We have only one program that generates revenue, and that is men's basketball," Dannen said. "But our scholarship football program is crucial to our commitment to decrease our reliance on general fund money."
For example, Dannen said, a recently signed 10-year advertising rights package with Learfield Sports valued at an average of $1 million annually likely would be lost if the school dropped scholarship football.
In addition, Dannen said there is no likelihood that Iowa or Iowa State would play a nonscholarship Northern Iowa football team. That would mean the loss of $325,000 alone next year for the Panthers' scheduled game against Iowa State and the loss of $500,000 from Iowa in its next scheduled game.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... 003/SPORTS
No shit. What kind of fans do they have up there? Lose a couple of games and they turn cannibal......