First-of-Its-Kind Survey Discussed at 20th-Anniversary Knight Commission
Meeting Reveals Dilemma of Reform, Overwhelming Agreement on Excessive
Coaching Salaries
MIAMI, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- University presidents at institutions with
major football programs agree that current spending trends on intercollegiate
athletics cannot be sustained nationally and collective action is needed to
address escalating costs, a study released at a meeting held by the Knight
Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics revealed today. More than 80% of
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS, formerly Division 1A) university presidents
participated in a survey that examined the presidents' attitudes and
perceptions about the challenges, benefits and costs of supporting
intercollegiate athletic programs.
Additional Knight Commission research reveals the subsidies provided by most
FBS institutions to their athletics budgets are rising more quickly than
educational budgets. This, together with other opinions revealed in the
survey, underscores the urgency to address the escalating costs of college
sports through collective action, which requires support from presidents, NCAA
leadership, university boards of trustees and conferences across the country.
The Commission intends to make its own recommendations in a report scheduled
to be released next spring. In its deliberations, the Commission will consider
the survey findings, additional research published in its online report,
College Sports 101, and the testimonies made by higher education and college
sports experts during public meetings held by the Commission over the past
year.
Key findings from the presidential survey conducted by Art & Science Group
include:
-- Dilemma of reform - While presidents recognize the need for reform,
there is a lack of clear consensus about the best way to effect
change.
Nearly three-quarters believe that athletics present unique challenges
as compared to other areas of the university when trying to control
costs on their own campus. A majority believe institutions must act
collectively to address these escalating costs.
-- Sustainability - Less than a quarter of presidents believe
intercollegiate athletics are sustainable in their current form at FBS
institutions nationally. Two-thirds view their own programs as
sustainable; but nearly half (48%) express concern that the current
economic outlook will affect the number of varsity sports their
institution can support in the future.
-- Salaries - When asked about salaries across FBS institutions
nationally,
an overwhelming majority (85%) of FBS presidents indicate they feel
compensation is excessive for football and basketball coaches. Viewed
as
the greatest impediment to sustainability, coaches' salaries are costs
that are difficult to control.
-- Growing Divide between Haves and Have-Nots - A major concern is the
growing imbalance between financially strong and weak programs.
Presidents of less competitive institutions feel that their programs
are
unfairly exploited.
-- Transparency - More than 80% of presidents believe greater financial
transparency is needed.
-- Benefits of Athletics - College presidents perceive athletic success
provides substantial benefits to the institution, such as generating
higher levels of fundraising, attracting better qualified students,
enhancing school spirit and raising the profile of the institution.
Although research generally does not support a significant correlation
between athletic success and increased donations or better student
quality, FBS university presidents are swayed by personal experience
that there are cross-institutional benefits of winning sports
programs.
"The presidential research findings are eye-opening and raise concerns, but I
am encouraged that we find ourselves in an environment ready for change," said
Knight Commission co-chairman William E. "Brit" Kirwan, Chancellor of
University System of Maryland. "The Commission will deliberate over the next
several months before issuing specific recommendations early next year.
However, we believe evidence continues to support the need for greater
financial transparency and will consider ways this can be achieved. Academic
reform in college sports hit a tipping point when graduation rates were first
shared publically in the early 1990s, and the same can hold true with greater
disclosure of ballooning athletics costs in relationship to institutional
budgets."
"It's important that a majority of presidents support collective action to
address financial pressures. We have heard the same call from athletics
directors who deal with these issues on the front lines," said Knight
Commission co-chairman R. Gerald Turner, President of Southern Methodist
University.
Potential solutions as well as an assessment of whether the current structure
is equipped to address the mounting problems were discussed today at a meeting
held in Miami that commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Knight
Commission's founding. Former NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey and The Ohio
State University Athletics Director Eugene D. Smith both echoed the
environment ready for change but propose different solutions.
Smith noted that athletic directors have been forced to become entrepreneurs
and urged continued control of athletics by university presidents. "The
presidents at the end of the day are in control, and the athletic directors
need to help them," Smith said. "We need to come up with strategies that help
the have-nots so they can sustain their missions."
Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany warned the Knight Commission,
"Cost-cutting is a contact sport in a conflict-rich environment."
Dutch Baughman, executive director of the Division IA Athletic Directors
Association, said his group is proposing immediate cost-cutting reforms. He
acknowledged they are among the "low-hanging fruit." Among the reforms are
smaller traveling squads, the elimination of foreign travel for athletics,
banning off-campus hotel stays before a home game, restrictions on Web site
expansion, and placing limits on sport team staff hiring.
Also unveiled today is College Sports 101, an interactive, Web-based report
that provides an overview of the business and economic landscape of college
sports. This report, which uses NCAA data made available for the first time,
pegs the median budget for the top 12 institutions at $83 million; the median
for those schools in the lowest grouping is $14 million. The widening gap
between the financially strong and weaker programs helps explain the disparity
of presidential opinions on these tough issues.
The executive summary and full research report on presidents' perceptions of
the benefits and costs of intercollegiate athletics as well as College Sports
101 can be found at www.KnightCommission.org.
About the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics was formed by the John S.
and James L. Knight Foundation in October 1989 in response to more than a
decade of highly visible scandals in college sports. The goal of the
Commission was to promote a reform agenda that emphasized academic values in a
climate in which commercialization of college sports often overshadowed the
underlying goals of higher education. More information about the Commission's
history including prior reports can be found at www.KnightCommission.org.
About the Presidential Survey on the Cost and Financing of Intercollegiate
Athletics
The survey reports the views of presidents for the Football Bowl Subdivision
(formerly Division I-A) universities on the costs and financing of
intercollegiate athletics. The findings are based on 95 quantitative telephone
interviews and 22 qualitative follow-up telephone interviews with presidents.
The quantitative component achieved an 80 percent completion rate. The study
was conducted by Art & Science Group of Baltimore, MD, from March to July
2009.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation advances journalism in the digital
age and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned
newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects that promote community
engagement and lead to transformational change. For more, visit
www.knightfoundation.org.
About Art & Science Group
Art & Science Group specializes in market-informed strategy and planning for
higher education and is one of the most highly regarded consulting firms
working in the field. The firm's practice involves close collaboration with
presidents, provosts, boards of trustees, and other senior leadership of
colleges and universities across the country. For more information about Art &
Science Group's work in the market-research, strategy, and planning arenas,
visit www.artsci.com.
SOURCE Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
Katie Reardon of Widmeyer Communications, +1-330-559-4754 (cell),
Katie.Reardon@widmeyer.com
