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Questions and Comments We've Received May 19, 2003 This just makes matters worse. With the program in limbo no BCS conference will consider us? Is this your game plan. Position enough uncertainity that no BCS conference will have us and then use that as an excuse to do what you really want to do and kill the program. I have a question. TP article of a week ago mentioned cost of a D-3 program as $5 million. I understand from D-3 school alum friends that you get almost no revenue from d-3 sports. So it sounds like you are willing to lose almost $5 million a year in D-3 so that you won't lose $5 million a year in D-1. This makes no monetary sense. Also in D-3 you get no publicity and lose the one contact we out of town alums have with the University. Hence it woiuld end up costing you as much or more money to be in D-3 without the free publicity. Given all of this I don't believe its only about money. What I think is that since its the alums school we need more info about what this is really all about. Will you provide the rationale to lose money in D-3 but not in D-1.? ***** As a long-time member of the Tulane community - former staff member, former student, and current faculty member - I have witnessed the ongoing saga of the role of athletics at Tulane over the past 36 years. Just when I thought we were beginning to have a good solution in sight, following months of research on this issue at several administrative levels, I picked up the Times-Picayune on May 6 and read about Rick Dickson's New Plan to Save Athletics. Two points: this isn't new, and it isn't going to save athletics. It just means business as usual, as was pointed out by one of my colleagues at a recent meeting of the University Senate. How many goals have to be set and unmet before it becomes obvious that the goals are *never* going to be met? This last-minute grandstanding by Rick Dickson is nothing more than a red herring - an attempt to divert the attention of the decision-makers from the issue at hand by offering them a seemingly plausible solution to a divisive problem that no one really wants to deal with. My biggest question is this: why are these goals for endowment and season ticket sales only being proposed by A.D. Dickson *now*? If he had been doing his job, these goals would have been set three years ago. My biggest fear is that three more years of grace will be granted - followed by the exit of Mr. Dickson for greener pastures, putting us back at square one. I once had the pleasure of listening to a talk in McAlister Auditorium by the late Hubert Humphrey, on how one should evaluate politicians and their promises. His advice, which I think should be equally applicable to Athletic Directors, was to pay no attention to what they say they *will* do, but rather to pay attention to what they *have* done. I only hope that the facts prevail when the Board discusses this issue, and that the fantasy is exposed for what it is. ***** I am a graduate of Tulane (BA, 1972). And, like many of my fellow alumni from my generation, I am at best a casual follower of Tulane's intercollegiate athletic program. (Most of my friends from my Tulane years are either hostile or scornful of Tulane's inexplicable involvement in big-time sports.) I've been reading about the current debate over the future of Tulane athletics at the Division 1A level. Certainly I've been proud of the most recent accomplishments - the high graduation rates, the after-season tournaments and bowl games, the upgrading of some facilities. But I'm even more distressed over the somewhat fruitless efforts over the decades to restore Tulane to athletic prowess on a par with state-supported universities and some heavily endowed private universities. It seems that with Tulane's limited financial resources, its grudging local support, and almost forgotten athletic tradition, a re-evaluation of the athletic program at the 1A level is in order. My suggestion is that Tulane move "up" to competition at the Division III level, that it reduce or remove all athletic scholarships, and join up with the prestigious University Athletic Association, whose member institutions more closely reflect Tulane's status as a high quality, selective, private university of medium size. Certainly, the benefits in prestige from from being allied athletically with NYU, Emory, Washington University, Chicago, Brandeis, and other comparable schools outweight the questionable status of Conference USA membership. More important, with UAA membership, more Tulane students could participate in athletics - real students who could be stars in the classroom as well on the court or field. I'm sure you, more than anyone, appreciate the importance of this moment. In the past only President Harris seemed to understand the dangers of Division 1A membership and appropriately took Tulane oout of the Southeastern Conference. But his long-term goals were not met. Tulane could achieve real greatness as an academic institution now by removing itself from the insanity of big-time athletics and seeking membership in the University Athletic Association. ***** I feel that Tulane athletics should be kept in Division I. I understand that by participating as a Division I school, Tulane athletics are in debt every year. However, I'm not sure if the athletic program is making all the money they could be. For example, it is a real bonus that students can go to any game they want for free, but I feel that if the students were charged, they would pay. Maybe one or two dollars for every game, but I am sure that if students are regular fans, they wont be deterred. If a group of kids want to go to a football or basketball game, no one is going to say "No, I don't feel like paying one dollar". It's spare change that is worth giving. Granted, charging the students would only bring in a few thousand, but anything is better than nothing. I believe that Tulane athletics holds its own in Division I. With big wins against Hawaii in football and LSU (twice) in baseball, there is a lot to be said about Tulane athletics. Approaching alumni is a wonderful idea, too. Raising money from alumni is a much more plausible scenario than raising money from increasing the number of season ticket holders. Tulane is a nationally known and recognized school. Kids come from all over the country to attend Tulane. They also graduate and move all over the country. Most alumni do not remain in New Orleans. Therefore, approaching alumni from all over the nation should raise money. Trying to sell season tickets to natives or the alumni in the city should raise money, but not the type of money that the alumni from all over are able to give. Also, the athletic program should really make the games and the teams a big deal to the students. I understand that not everyone is a huge sports fan, but I believe that if enough emphasis was put on the program through emails, fliers, etc, more students would start attending. I realize that there are already promotions (such as food at the tennis games and free transportation to the football games) but there has to be other things that can be done to help get the students to the games. I hope that the alumni and everyone else pulls through to help keep Tulane in the division that it needs to be in. ***** I just sought info. on how I could best help. Making a 5 yr. financial pledge(predicated on remaining in Div.1A--incl. football) OR buying some sort of ticket package & donating them to families in N.O.(I live in Milwaukee). Now I hear you are postponing making a decision until after May 29th. Can someone please give me a straight answer?? I have the money & want to help. It appears that Scott Cowen is either anti-Div.1A athletics, or lacks the moral integrity to provide such an answer. Thankyou.... ***** Colleagues- I am fairly peripheral from the realm of Tulane athletics, but would strongly support the notion of establishing a 1st rate soccer team at Tulane. We have a strong mix of international students here and historic links to Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Europe and even Africa. Most of these students--and, a growing number of American students--have shifted their interests from American football to soccer. Thanks for the opportunity to provide feedback. ***** Tulane sports are doing great at the moment and give the school a great reputation. It is possible to combine academics and collegiate athletics and to achieve greatness both on the field and in the classroom. Most teams such as women's and men's tennis, women's and mens golf, women's soccer have a tradition of having a team GPA over 3.0. Please, do not cut the division I program. I do not want to graduate from a division III school that noone will know about in 5-10 years. ***** The model that Tulane University has set for itself over the past five or six years, through the implementation of its "Strategic Plan," is that of "tubs on their own bottoms." This is a sink-or-swim mentality, where departments have to be self-sufficient and self-sustaining in order to validate their continued existance. This has already led to cuts in numerous areas, especially in graduate programs. The business-oriented administration has implemented this policy, claiming it is a common-sense solution for an institution faced with such a severe financial crisis. The one department that has always been exempt from this policy is Athletics. For at least the past six years, the Athletics Department has received a $3 million "subsidy" in direct contradiction to the principles of the "tubs on their own bottoms" strategy. For at least the past six years, Athletics has managed to run a deficit of at least $2.5 to $3 million on top of this subsidy, and sometimes significantly more. That means that Athletics consistently runs a total deficit around $6 million a year. Every year. According to the Time-Picayune, this deficit is at least five-times what the university receives in annual athletics donations. (See http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-3/105324092960130.xml) That hardly seems cost-productive. If any other division in the university ran that sort of deficit, it would instantly cease to exist and the supervising dean or VP would probably be fired. Why should Athetics be any different? And seriously, are we getting out of this program what we pay for? Theoretically, Athleetics is supposed to provide us with a great deal of exposure on the national stage. Yet even when our football team is one of four undeafeted teams in the country, we get a trip to the Consolation Bowl and at best a passing mention from the sports commentator on NPR. And for all the supposedly good press we theoretically get from our Athletics department, does it significantly outweigh the bad press we receive when we are sactioned for point-shaving, or it is exposed that we are in consistant Title IX violator? Students -- and alumni -- are tired of hearing that the library had to make cuts in journal subscriptions again this year because the university faces a fiscal crisis. They are tired of hearing that tuition has gone up by another 5% again this year because the university faces a fiscal crisis. They are tired of hearing that additional cuts in student services are scheduled again this year because the university faces a fiscal crisis. They are tired that Tulane has slipped another spot or two in the national rankings again this year because the university faces a fiscal crisis. And they are tired of hearing that vital resources are being thrown into the black hole of the Athletics Department again this year DESPITE THE FACT that the university faces a fiscal crisis. Scaling back the Athletics Department is long past overdue. The department is hemorhaging money, and has been for years. Whether it is a move to Division I-B, Division III or some other change, any step the university can take to staunch this flow will be a superiour decision to allowing the status quo to continue. ***** Dr. Cowen: I feel compelled to write this letter to you and the Board of Administrators as a member of the T-Club, Tulane’s Athletic Alumni Association, not to pursue changing the current Division 1-A status of the Tulane Athletic Department. In recent weeks, there has been a firestorm over the scheduled review of the Tulane Athletic Department and the role of Division I-A intercollegiate athletics within the scope of Tulane University’s mission. As a CPA, I fully understand the need to evaluate each and every aspect of one’s business to determine how each division enhances the overall goal of the entity. It is within this framework that I want to expand upon what I believe Tulane’s participation in Division 1-A intercollegiate athletics has contributed to the overall objective of Tulane University. That objective is to create and enrich individuals with the capacity to think, to learn, and to act and lead with integrity and wisdom. In evaluating this role, one must look at the output of the Athletic Department. What has the Athletic Department produced for the University? The Tulane Athletic Department has been instrumental in producing numerous Doctors, Attorneys, CPA’s, PhD’s, Engineers, Businessmen, Politicians, Professors, Teachers, and Coaches - all leaders in their community. All of these individuals received a solid foundation and opportunity at Tulane, allowing them to grow and build outstanding careers. Different reports have stated that the main thrust of this review is to determine how Division 1-A Athletics contributes to the overall mission of Tulane University. Attached is a very short list of recent Tulane Alumni who also happen to be former scholarship athletes in the Tulane Athletic programs. These individuals chose Tulane University because of the opportunity to compete at the highest level, both athletically and academically. It can be presumed that these individuals would not have attended Tulane without that opportunity. It is obvious to me, and I hope that it becomes apparent to you, that not only does Division 1-A Athletics belong at Tulane, but also that it excels at attracting and producing the type of graduates that Tulane University endeavors to send forth. The nurturing of current and former student athletes is very much in line with the overall mission of Tulane University. I hope that when evaluating Athletics and its role within Tulane, you and the board will consider this submission as evidence to fully support a strong Division 1-A Athletic Department and the leadership that it fosters in our student athletes. Very Truly Yours, ***** I am very tired of working so hard and being told I can't get a raise because we have no money. I'm sick of the Medical School having to send so much money to the uptown campus. I work as a full-time physician and still have to work 2 other jobs to pay off my Tulane loans. So I say cut sports to the bone. I don't have time to go to games anyway because I'm working so hard to make the money you take to fund the teams. If they don't make money get rid of them because money unfortunately is what it's all about. ***** If you have a division 3 budget of 5 millon and nobody comes to the games, don't you lose 5 millon? ***** lane, in its analysis of the athletics department, really needs to take a very hard look at the angle of how making a change from Div. I to Div. III will impact campus diversity. In short, going to non-scholarship athletics will be taking opportunities away from minority students, will it not? Will we see Tulane take the millions saved by going to non-scholarship and plow that into efforts to attract deserving minority students and reach out in new ways to the greater surrounding community, something Tulane can well stand to do? Or will we see Tulane become ever more of an elitist closed-circle institution that doesn't care whether it has burned bridges to the surrounding community? ***** Re: more realignment gossip I am new to this board..I am a Univ of Florida alumni, grew up in Miami, but my daughter will be attending Tulane this fall. I have been following closely the series of posts on the athletics situation including reading the lengthy transcripts from the open forum meetings...I can't tell you how much the scenario reminds me of the University of Miami and their development...the irony is now that the University of Miami has such a powerful athletics profile that they are the king dogs of changing the BCS, ACC, Big East and probably Conference USA...Miami faces many of the same issues that Tulane does - private, space confined on campus, limted space just off campus, smaller enrollment than the big state schools, existing in a cosmopolitan city that has many other things going on,,,unlike a typical small city surrounding a state school and facilities off campus that they do not directly control all revenues (UM plays football in the Orange Bowl off campus and until this year when an onsite arena was completed, played basketball in the downtown arena)...the similarities are even to the point that baseball was UM's premier sport 20 years ago with a strong local following of fans... UM dropped basketball many years ago and was on the verge of dropping football several times...especially as the Miami Dolphins ate in to their fan base...to this day, they do not draw well for the Rutgers, Temple, etc games and only draw well for the event games - FSU, Va Tech, etc... There were similar rallies of support from the alumni and local communities the various times that dropping football became prominant discussion... When Howard Schellenberger became the coach, he started a campaign to "win the recruiting battle of the state of South Florida" and began to get the South Florida community behind him...they were traditionally a 3-7, 4-6 team and had U of Fla and FSU in state to recruit against...not terribly different than LSU in La...the team got steadily better, playing in the Liberty Bowl, Peach Bowl and finally won a miraculous Orange Bowl game vs Nebraska and the rest is history from there... Basketball was restored as they lobbied for conference affiliation,,,no conference would take them without bball. Now they set the standard for football and revenue and control of major conferences... When I see how many players from La are being recruited by Tulane and the moderate success the team has had lately...and seeming to be on an upswing...it is scary how similar the scenario is... It would be a huge mistake to give up when things seem to be turning on an upswing...people laugh when I say if Miami could do it then Tulane could...people only look at the last 15 years or so when thinking of Miami...however, it is incredible how similar things are at Tulane today to what it was at Miami 15-20 years ago...if Tulane misses out on getting BCS affiliation because of fear of not making it...the self fulfilling prophecy of failure will win out...looking at successful roadmaps to drive the same successful outcomes is the better course. ***** A little background ·. Grew up a Greenie in the shadows of old Tulane Stadium. Was a camper, jr. counselor and counselor at Tulane Day Camp. Worked while in high school at the Howard Tilton Library and in the accounting office. Started Tulane Summer School immediately upon graduation from high school. Graduated from the College of Arts & Sciences in 1973 and came back for Graduate Business School from 1976 to 1978. In other words I bleed green and have from my earliest remembrances. Attended all Tulane football, basketball and baseball games from as far back as I can remember. My parents were season tickets holders as I am today although I live out of state. While in Jr. High and High School had two additional sets of basketball season tickets so I could take friends. Was in Tulane Stadium in the Fall of 1972 for a great football game between Division I Tulane and LSU and swore that night to return for the game next year although I was off to Chicago for graduate school. Flew in a week early for the 1973 game with the Tigers and what a week that was and what a victory for Tulane football and the rest of the University. And thereâs a little story here ö in the previous 24 years of playing LSU, Tulane had not won once. Football had been de-emphasized as you well know and what once had been a very successful and nationally known football program found itself on the losing side of the score far too often and with little support from the Administration. But, you know, the football team and coaches kept at it and low and behold came the games in Î72 & Î73 (and others) and things were looking up. Weâve had more recent setbacks, but today our Division I football team and other sports are doing just fine. What Iâm trying to say is this is what Division I football and sports are all about ö support. Support from the fans and alums who what to get on that airplane and fly a few hours for a game. ·that want to open their checkbooks and write that check. · that want to get their kids excited about the University they attended and hope their kids will go there as well. Tulane University and Tulane Athletics are in my blood and my kids have been brought up just like me. They support Tulane Athletics and the University, and continue to relate positively to the university, because of one overriding aspect ö Division I athletics. Tulane Athletics needs the Universityâs full support as well as the Boardâs and yours as President. It doesnât seem that long ago that you gave your football coach a hug at what could be called the best damm advertising the University has received in years. And now you want to destroy all this. But maybe this goes back further, before the hug in Hawaiâi. The football teamâs winning season and bowl victory probably caught the Ad-Hoc Committee by surprise and instead of coming out and acknowledging the fact then that a study was underway ö they acquiesced. I am dumbfounded as to why you, President Cowen, would want to destroy or let others destroy what to this day has been a great University with a great history, tradition and future in Division I athletics. Maybe your background doesnât give you the proper perspective from which to judge what a Division I football program means to Tulane or any university, their students and alumni. Personally, Division I means the most to me and without it I feel my support will cease. Do you and the Board really want a regional, private university with a decreasing student population as freshman enrollment drops year after year? And even if my son would express an interest to attend the new Division III Tulane University, I would suggest he look elsewhere for a Division I school so he could experience what I experienced as a student of a Division I football program. There is a difference. Donât let us experience it first hand. ***** It would be most useful for the Tulane community to know exactly how much the athletics deficit has been in recent years and how much of it is "buried" in various budgetary lines in all divisions of Tulane. ***** My recommendation: Abolish all athletic programs! ***** Division I sports are an integral part of Tulane University. They perform important functions in terms of cultural, intellectual, and activity-based diversity. ***** I just read of the delay in the reporting to the full board of the Ad Hoc Committee's final recommendations. It is bad enough that this whole thing is being carried out in public, but further delay in the decision is likely to be as deadly as a decision to go to Division III. How can we expect coaches to continue to recruit student athletes under the shadow of a death blow? How can we expect coaches to stay the course and not find themselves more secure jobs? If there were a "top ten" in How to Shoot Yourself in the Foot, we would indeed be Number One! ***** In my opinion, it is impossible for the university to sustain further deficits on behalf of a program that can never be anything but mediocre. It would be much better simply to drop out of division I down to Division III where Tulane can still have a sports program without threatening to bankrupt the school. There are so many more priorities other than athletics that Tulane needs to invest in, and this move would allow the university to throw off the oppressive yoke of budget deficits. I know of very few people in the faculty who approve of maintaining the status quo. Now is the time to be brave yet strong for the best interests of everybody. ***** At a time when each house has several televisions, and children are actually raised on TV, the last thing Tulane needs to do is to get off TV. That makes no sense to take the school out of this popular public medium. Tulane needs to properly market itself, and cutting out numerous hours of advertisement on TV via sports is inconsistent. Don't reduce the value of my degrees from Tulane by making it an unknown little college somewhere in parts unknown. You should be celebrating the having of a solid sports program, instead of complaining about it. I'm sure a lot of schools would pay a substantial start up cost to get a Division I team and the potential it brings when run correctly. Make the right move and keep Tulane sports and football Division I. To me its a real stretch if you eliminate it, and not for the best interests of the school. ***** I am a parent of a Tulane athlete. As disturbed as we are about the possibility of Tulane giving up on their athletic program, I have been inspired and amazed at the thousand e-mails that have come in in support of Tulane Athletics. Value. I implore the board to look at the 'value' received for the $5-$7 million figure that has been brought up. We are proud to see Tulane listed as a Tier One school, we aren't sure about how we feel on its rating as a party school, but we have heard so many accolades about Tulane's athletics. What will the university lose if Division I athletics go away? No, any other division is not close to the same! How much money will the university lose if the decision is made to change? The problem at Tulane is deeper than the athletic program. As a graduate of TCU, I have read where tuition does not cover the full cost of a college education. The endowment fund must be a source of revenue to supplement tuition. In the 1970s TCU had horrible athletic teams, but the alumni and top officials in the university formed committees to increase the endowment to the university, and to improve the athletic program. It took hard work, and a number of years, but TCU now has one of the top endowments for a university its size. It draws students from all over the nation, has good athletics programs, and a great alumni base. The endowment fund at Tulane must be increased....drop athletics now, but that won't take care of the root problem...you will have to drop something else later... The board needs to become innovative, not regressive, and solve the big problem. Go after alumni and area supporters, not just for athletics, but for the university as a whole. Keep Tulane Division I, so that it will continue to receive national recognition that brings in the best, most well rounded students. Work with C-USA to help it get a bigger share of the pie-don't run away. Help to change the system to Tulane's advantage. This university has the best and brightest graduating from, and administering this university. Surely the bord can look at the big picture...the future.....and not make short sited decisions. Our student came to Tulane, first because of athletics, next because of academics. She has loved her year, and we hope your decision will allow her to complete her education at Tulane. Dropping to a lower division will result in the university losing a great young lady, diverse and talented, hard working and loyal. VALUE........ |