Apparently not everybody see big-time college athletics as a way to enhance their identity. Rutgers is infusing new life into their football team, including a $102M upgrade to their stadium to hold the throngs they hope to entice with their revamped program. Meanwhile they are undergoing a fiscal crisis; facing budget cuts (10.8%), an economic downturn and rising financial costs, which have made a number of groups on and off the campus question the wisdom of the move.
Various constituencies of the university are choosing sides. A group called the “Rutgers 1000,” consisting of alumni, professors and students, has come out against the increase in the athletic program budget, calling it a misuse of funds that could be better spent on academics. Tuition continues to rise (6.5% in 2008), and other facilities are in need of attention, critics say. The balance between athletics and academics is being upended, they contend.
Others, including the administration, are not giving way, saying that the payoff will be in increased applications and prestige, if nothing else. Rutgers has always played in the Ivy League, where football is almost looked on as an afterthought. Their ambition is to become a football powerhouse along the lines of the Big Ten and other dominant conferences. According to the New York Times story, the president of Rutgers, Richard L. McCormick, while acknowledging that the university needs to reshape its oversight and ethics policies and that it faces a severe cash crunch that is likely to scale back the stadium project, says that turning back from big-time sports is not an option.
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Interesting article. I am surprised that they didn't lean more on Alumni to pay for the football program. I used to work at a Big 10 school and Football was the leading money maker from Alumni donations. If the football team has a good season, alumni donations are up.
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