[Vision2020] UI Athletics (was part of Raise Our Taxes)
Gier, Nicholas
NGIER at uidaho.edu
Sat Apr 24 10:34:57 PDT 2010
Greetings:
Why do people keep posting under a subject heading that no longer indicates the substance of the discussion?
Here is a letter I wrote on UI athletics that was published in the Daily News some time last year. By the way, very few academic programs get allocations from the UI Foundation, but in FY09 UI athletics received a nice sum of $809,266.
To the Editor:
With regard to your story on budget cuts for UI athletics, I'm shedding no tears, and here are the reasons:
· Since 1987 general education funds given to UI athletics increased 338 percent while funds for Idaho higher education rose only 158 percent.
· Over the last ten years "institutional support" for athletics, explained to me as earnings from UI investments, increased from $397,166 to $726,500, an 83 percent increase.
· During the financial crisis of 2004-05 the UI liberal arts college was forced to cut $326,000, but $322,600 was added to the athletics department budget.
· From 2001 to 2005 UI athletics paid no administrative fees on external funds to the central administration, but all other units paid 5 percent. Currently the rates are 3 percent for athletics and 8 percent for all others.
· UI athletics claimed that it needed the exception from administrative fees because it had to reach gender equity goals, but since 1997 the state funds for this purpose have increased 604 percent ($115,000 to $809,266).
· While UI faculty received a 3.3 percent pay increase this year, the athletic director enjoyed an 8 percent raise, and the salary line for football coaches with record losses also increased 8 percent.
· Since 1999 private contributions to UI athletics rose 246 percent, indicating the potential for it to wean itself, as any non-academic program should, from its state subsidy.
In 2003 the UI administration decided to close down the UI Press, which made national news with an awarding winning book, because it required a $300,000 subsidy. But it is the very nature of academic programs to be supported by the state.
During this deep economic crisis, it is high time for non-academic programs to increase their private contributions and gate revenues.
Nick Gier, Moscow
________________________________
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com on behalf of Ron Force
Sent: Fri 4/23/2010 5:29 PM
To: lfalen; Wayne Price; Moscow Vision 2020
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Raise Our Taxes U of I - Seriously Look atHardChoices
The Athletic Department doesn't even come close to breaking even. You can see the financial reports submitted to the NCAA here:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/ncaa-finances.htm
In 2008-09 they received the following outside ticket sales, TV, donations, etc in a total budget of $15,126,899:
Student fees: $2,154,873
State support: $3,033,417
Direct Institutional Support; $2,460,731
State support is a line item in the budget from the legislature. Direct institutional support is other funds appropriated internally.
BSU gets the same state subsidy, and raises about the same from student fees and indirect support, but hey have a $30 million budget. The difference? Three times as much in contributions, six times as much in ticket sales, much more in TV, game guarantees, bowl receipts. licensing revenue, etc.
Interestingly, Idaho State gets the same state subsidy--the state doesn't play favorites--and comes close in institutional support and student fees. They only have a $10 million total budget.
Ron Force
Moscow Idaho USA
________________________________
From: lfalen <lfalen at turbonet.com>
To: Wayne Price <bear at moscow.com>; Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Fri, April 23, 2010 4:35:12 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Raise Our Taxes U of I - Seriously Look at HardChoices
Wayne
You gave a very thoughtful run down of things to look at. The Athletic Department is important if it brings in more money than it costs. I do question that we are in the right conference, but do not have the answer to that. This is a Land Grant College and we are an agricultural state, so yes we need the Ag College and the Extension Service. There are however some Experimental Stations that could be closed. When that has been tried, there has been an uproar from the communities in which they resided.
Roger
-----Original message-----
From: Wayne Price bear at moscow.com
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:44:17 -0700
To: Moscow Vision 2020 vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Raise Our Taxes U of I - Seriously Look at HardChoices
> The University President announced that there needs to be a new 5 year
> plan (as the old one's five years are up soon).
>
> I agree when he states that the University cannot be all things to all
> people, and a serious look needs to be made in the matter of what IS
> essential to the University of Idaho and what isn't.
> Now, that's where the problems come in and it will boil down to who's
> ox is going to be gored.
>
> For instance, does a university need an extensive and expensive sports/
> athletic program to be a functional and well recognized place of
> higher education? I've often heard how much the athletic program
> brings into the university, but have never heard IF it is self-
> supporting. Does the state's Land-Grant institution need an
> Agricultural College? A golf course? Women's studies? What about a
> million dollar plus contract for city policing? And the list goes on,
> I'm not singling out those programs alone. Maybe yes we need them,
> maybe no, we don't, but all should be looked at. Nothing should be
> a "sacred cow" and that includes high salaries for faculty as well as
> administration. How many 250k + people can the University support
> without cuts to core functions and values? I don't know, but it should
> be seriously looked at. AND with some serious reforms in the Human
> Resources department, I truly believe that more qualified
> administrators and faculty and staff CAN be found for a lower cost
> than we are currently paying. It's time to SERIOUSLY look outside the
> box for solutions to the tough economic times we are facing now, have
> been facing and will be facing for the near future.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Apr 23, 2010, at 11:53 AM, Saundra Lund wrote:
>
> > I dunno, Tom, but perhaps at least one of them would have some
> > ethics and
> > not be a liar . . . I'd be willing to pay *more* for that!
> >
> > I don't know about all three of those named, but I know for a fact
> > that one
> > has absolutely no qualms about telling lies when he thinks he can
> > get away
> > with it. And for that he's very handsomely compensated with very
> > little in
> > the way of job qualifications -- it was one of Tim White's last F-
> > yous to
> > the UI. No wonder this country has gone to heck in a hand basket --
> > we've
> > become a society where we think paying big bucks buys top quality when
> > that's just not the case, as we've seen at the UI time & time
> > again. When
> > will we learn???
> >
> > I just don't get why people think we should continue to handsomely
> > reward
> > dishonest & unethical university administrators . . . .
> >
> >
> >
> > Saundra Lund
> > Moscow, ID
> >
> > The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people
> > to do
> > nothing.
> > ~ Edmund Burke
> >
> > ***** Original material contained herein is Copyright 2010 through
> > life plus
> > 70 years, Saundra Lund. Do not copy, forward, excerpt, or reproduce
> > outside
> > the Vision 2020 forum without the express written permission of the
> > author.*****
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
> > ]
> > On Behalf Of Tom Hansen
> > Sent: Friday, April 23, 2010 11:34 AM
> > To: Mo Hendrickson
> > Cc: Moscow Vision 2020
> > Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Raise Our Taxes
> >
> > Very well stated, Mo.
> >
> > Instead of throwing rocks only to retreat and crawl back under one,
> > how
> > about some constructive support?
> >
> > Do you really think, Roger (?), that those hired to replace Baker,
> > Mues,
> > and Daly-Laursen would be willing to accept those duties at a rate
> > less
> > than their current positions?
> >
> > Tom Hansen
> > Moscow, Idaho
> > UI '96
> >
> > "The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to
> > change
> > and the Realist adjusts his sails."
> >
> > - Unknown
> >
> >>
> >> "This is provided that they first cut out the fat at the top. At
> >> the UI
> >> that means Baker, Mues and Daly-Laursen. "
> >>
> >> So Roger, you would cut these three people. SO you get rid of them,
> >> do you
> >> think the university could function without a VP of Finance and a
> >> Provost?
> >> Do you know what the expense is for running executive searches? Two
> >> of
> >> the three positions would be refilled, probably at a higher salary
> >> line,
> >> due to market salary increases. Yes I think that administrators
> >> make a
> >> lot more than anyone should get paid, but at the same time that is
> >> the way
> >> the system is set up. It is not unique to UI. So your idea to save
> >> money would probably end up costing the university MORE money.
> >>
> >> I know that you have ties to the College of Ag, and yes they are in a
> >> particularly tough place financially. But the whole of the UI is
> >> hurting.
> >> Your ideas seem to have a trend towards take from somewhere else
> >> and fix
> >> Ag, well when you take from somewhere that has nothing you end up
> >> hurting
> >> that department or college. Offices across campus are one deep,
> >> everyone
> >> is doing more and not getting paid for the extra duties. It is
> >> time to be
> >> creative about how to raise monies, to recruit students, and create a
> >> sustainable working environment. That will not happen if we are all
> >> so
> >> focused on our own special interest.
> >>
> >> I think there are some folks on this list with such animosity
> >> towards UI
> >> that they refuse to see any good and only find the negative. From
> >> where I
> >> sit, there are wonderful, fabulous, and amazing things happening at
> >> this
> >> university at ALL levels top to bottom, that some folks just don't
> >> see.
> >> Yes money is tight and things suck in a lot of departments and
> >> colleges,
> >> try and find some positive in all of this. Living in the negative
> >> is a
> >> miserable way to live. But hey that's your choice.
> >>
> >> -Mo
> >
> > =======================================================
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> > mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> > =======================================================
> >
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> > mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> > =======================================================
>
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> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> http://www.fsr.net <http://www.fsr.net/>
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