Thursday, April 16, 2009
KU Athletics’ latest expansion announcement, this time for an Olympic Village-style development for track and field, soccer and softball has brought to the forefront several persistent questions regarding the relationship between KU Athletics and the rest of the University. The proposed $23 million sports facility comes at a time when the University faces massive budget cuts and the continued deferment of crucial maintenance for campus infrastructure. Outgoing Chancellor Hemenway has been a long-standing champion of KU Athletics, but the incoming chancellor needs to refocus his or her priorities on the University’s fundamental mission — academics and research. The first step should be the initiation of a new capital campaign, a measure that is long overdue.
The Olympic Village project is simply the latest in a long line of building projects that have dramatically changed the face of athletics at the University in the past six years. Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director said the new facilities would be “championship quality,” allowing the University to attract new competitions and appeal to recruits. In addition, Marchiony said all of these new facilities would be used by women’s sports, improving the University’s Title IX compliance. Undoubtedly, the new facility will benefit the University and its athletes, which should not be overlooked.
During the past six years, Athletics Director Lew Perkins has overseen the construction of many prominent facilities, including suites at Memorial Stadium and a museum at Allen Fieldhouse, that have showcased the University’s athletics to alumni, the media and new recruits. This is precisely what the administration hired him to do. Before Perkins came to Lawrence in 2003, he managed a comparably massive expansion of athletics facilities at the University of Connecticut.
Athletics must strike a balance among providing reasonable facilities for its athletes, accommodating spectators and appealing to donors and recruits. But most importantly, it must contribute to the overall success of the University, which is ultimately measured in terms of academics. Keeping in mind the terms and constraints of the relationship of Athletics to the University, it is disconcerting to see the construction of yet another huge and costly athletics facility while the rest of the University literally crumbles around it. Deferred maintenance costs for older parts of campus have plagued the University for a decade and detrimentally affected academics. Now, with a full-blown recession, large budget cuts are projected for the next two years, and maintenance will no doubt be deferred once again, not to mention faculty layoffs and deep cuts in student services.
Next year, the University’s new leadership must repair this disparity and focus first and foremost on maintaining the University’s fundamental mission of academics and research. Administrators must immediately undertake a new capital campaign to make up for the money that the University can no longer count on from state government. The previous campaign, KU First, ended in 2004 with outstanding results, raising $653 million dollars. Dale Seuferling, president of KU Endowment, said the commitments for that campaign ended after five years, making 2009 or 2010 an optimal time to start a new campaign. These campaigns could be presented as a way to reinvest in the University’s core mission.
“The new chancellor will be key,” Seuferling said. “The alumni donors will be interested in that individual’s ideals and goals.”
One of the incoming chancellor’s first goals must be to address the conspicuous disparity between athletics and academics at the University.
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Comments
Editorial: Olympic Village highlights gap between athletics, academics
Not necessarily so vladislav. Students foot the bill for athletics programs in their student fees. If you ever cared to look at what makes up your itemized bill you would see that athletics and student senate propose and implement several fees on the student body which arguably takes away opportunity for the University to maintain.
Editorial: Olympic Village highlights gap between athletics, academics
If you look closely you still see that the STUDENT money directed toward athletics is for Women and other Non-Revenue sports ($25) plus 1/2 the cost of a Boathouse for the rowing team, approved by the student body via referendum VOTE ($15, expires 2012 I believe).
Ditto Vladislav
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