University of Arizona Heading for ‘Draconian’ Budget Cuts; Sports Could Be Cut
In the midst of a dramatic budget shortfall, the University of Arizona has announced plans to make enormous cuts, which could include entire athletics programs. The school recently realized that its budget projection model for 2023 was off by $240 million, meaning that the school had only 97 days of cash on hand instead of a projected 156 days.
This week, Arizona President Robert Robbins told the school’s monthly faculty senate meeting, “This is going to require some draconian cuts” after he and chief financial officer Lisa Rulney described the situation as a “financial crisis,” according to Tucson.com. Robbins added,” I did know we were spending money, but I thought we had the reserves to spend money on… But this is a big miscalculation.”
The report from Tucson.com chronicles how Arizona faculty questioned Robbins in the meeting, with many professors incredulous that leadership did not realize the magnitude of the budgetary problems for so long. Numerous professors demanded accountability for members of the school’s financial team.
Robbins listed financial aid and athletics as two financial drains on the university, and he hopes to cut down on the merit-based scholarship money awarded to students. But the athletic department could be a more dramatic source of funding cuts, particularly as Arizona prepares to depart the Pac-12 at the end of the 2023-24 season and enter the Big 12.
Currently, the Wildcats sponsor 23 athletics programs, including women’s and men’s swimming and diving. In the Big 12, schools sponsor an average of 17 athletics programs. The school currently has a budget of $100 for athletics, according to Tucson.com, and Robbins noted that Arizona is struggling to repay a $55 million loan taken out during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The school is expected to submit a plan for financial reform to the Arizona Board of Regents by Dec. 15, and that plan should shed light on the cuts to be implemented, including if the swimming and diving teams will be affected.
Arizona’s women’s and men’s swim and dive teams each captured national championships in 2008, but the teams have not achieved the same level of national success since longtime head coach Frank Busch departed to become USA Swimming’s National Team Director before his eventual retirement. Currently, Busch’s son Augie is the Wildcats head coach, and the teams finished sixth (women’s) and fourth (men’s) at last year’s Pac-12 meet.
Will the president and other leaders subject their salaries to “draconian cuts”
Of course not. Negative consequences are for little people. Not college presidents that can’t count.
sad…very sad…….that 400 free relay at the olympics that won gold 15 years ago was mind blowing…..3 of the 4 trained at zona……..south africa……great memories……
One of those swimmers, Roland Schoeman is still active in swimming and lives in the Tucson area. I hope the alum can save the teams.
Accountability and an internal audit is in order. Don’t punish the students for the financial department’s “miscalculation”. After the updates to the aquatics center, it would be a shame not to utilize it to the maximum.
Meanwhile, Zona swim alumni and fans need to do their part to not let the program suffer.
This is a little strange, because *normally* university athletic departments are self-sustaining, due to ticket sales, television revenue, and alumni donations to the athletic department.
That’s not normal, though. The NCAA reported that in 2019, only 25 of 130 schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision (and apparently no D1 program outside the FBS) had positive net revenues in athletics. *Normal* is that Athletics covers much but not all of its own costs.
That NCAA report is at https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/research/Finances/2020RES_D1-RevExp_Report.pdf
(You could argue over how much athletic scholarships might be relieving the campus financial aid budget, or to what extent the facilities budget would be spent because even D3 schools want some kind of a gym… but frankly we’re nibbling the edges there.)
Get rid of the swim teams. if they’re so great, sell enough meet tickets to cover the program’s costs. This is where we are headed folks. The party is over.
i might add a 4/6 finish in the PAC12, nationally speaking, is elite swimming, not underperforming.