It has been almost four months since the recommendations of the President's Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics have been implemented in an attempt to eliminate persistent operating deficits in our athletic department. In accepting the Commission's recommendations, President Loh also agreed to a fundraising campaign to `Save Our Sports.' ICA has dedicated senior staff personnel to help support this campaign, and efforts to date have included:
Solicited alumni and friends of each sport through email and direct mail campaigns.
We have been working diligently with each sport to help identify and cultivate donors and to increase the outreach efforts. The steering committee for Men's Track & Field, comprised of alumni of the program, has been particularly active. To date, Men's Track and Field has secured over $575,000 and has worked with the athletic department to develop a programmatic plan to move forward and ensure their financial stability.
The new plan calls for the roster to be limited to 14 men, who will compete during the outdoor season only. Operational costs for Men's Track would be budgeted at $125,000 annually. Scholarship levels would continue at their current level of 10 (NCAA maximum is 12.6) and would include some aid for summer and winter sessions. In order to maintain our requirements and commitment to Title IX proportionality, we will add to the traditional sizes of the women's teams (22 from 18 in women's cross country, 40 from 35 in indoor track and field and 40 from 36 in outdoor track and field). The cost to proportionally increase aid to female student-athletes for summer and winter sessions will be part of the Men's Track fundraising goal.
As athletic director, I am committed to continuing to be self-sufficient, and with balanced annual budgets. This philosophy aligns with President Loh's and the Commission's recommendations. Through continued collaboration, we have agreed to a new programmatic scope and fundraising plan for Men's Track. Specifically, we will adjust the fundraising goal, establish periodic benchmarks to monitor the fundraising progress and give the student-athletes updates, and extend the fundraising time period, provided those benchmarks are met.
The fundraising timeline will be extended to December 31, 2012 to raise $1.88 million, provided cash gifts are deposited in the University of Maryland College Park Foundation account totaling $470,000 by April 2, 2012 and $940,000 by June 30, 2012. Further, the eight-year total goal of $3.76 million would be due by December 30, 2013. The goal to establish the full endowment, necessary to ensure the program's long-term sustainability, remains in place. The full endowment amount of $11.75 million would be due in June 30, 2020.
The new plan has been agreed to by all parties and it is my hope that this plan provides us with the best possible opportunity for success, while adhering to the fiscal principles that were outlined by the Commission. If the fundraising does not meet the benchmarks and the team is eliminated, all affected student-athletes will retain their scholarships through to graduation and all coaching contracts will be honored. For those student-athletes who wish to transfer, all due assistance will be provided.
We will, of course, continue to work with all other affected teams on their specific fundraising efforts. Any adjustments to the sport fundraising goals would be made on a case-by-case basis.
Maryland Athletics is, and must remain, a self-supporting unit, responsible for covering expenses with athletics-related revenues. Our commitment to you is to pursue excellence in everything we do. Maryland fans deserve nothing less.
If you are interested in supporting the `Save Our Sports' campaign, please visit this website or call Cheryl Harrison at 301-314-6687. For all of you who have already contributed to our `Save Our Sports' campaign, thank you. Your support is appreciated more than you can imagine.
Respectfully,
Kevin Anderson
Director of Athletics
