Draconian cuts' coming, U of A President Robbins tells faculty (Including Sports Programs)

Dback Jon

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What a mess in Tucson


The mood was tense inside Old Main Monday afternoon. The University of Arizona’s monthly faculty senate meeting was about to start, and the room was so packed that some faculty members had to stand in the back while over a hundred additional participants sat quietly in a Zoom waiting room.
The strained atmosphere was understandable — it was the first time the faculty senate was gathering since university President Robert Robbins and senior vice president and chief financial officer Lisa Rulney told the Arizona Board of Regents last week that the UA was in a “financial crisis.”

Athletics has also been a drain on the financial resources of the university, Robbins told the faculty, most of whom spoke out against the $55 million loan made by the university to the athletic department during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. That money, Robbins said, has not been paid back “fast enough.”
 

moosehead

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I worked for the UA for 10 years. Universities spend crazy money on things they would never spend it on, in the private sector. 10 years in the state system and 4 years in municipal government soured me sufficiently to leave and never return. Some great folks in public sector, some lemons too. The bureaucratic culture is akin to a self-licking ice cream cone. Dogma, no value on peoples' time, lots of patting each other on the back and self-justification. An odd world for sure...
 

TJ

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Why it was important to get the best conference deal possible. Wouldn’t surprise me if Heeke/Robbins decided to cut bait with some non-revenue generating sports
 
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Dback Jon

Dback Jon

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Why it was important to get the best conference deal possible. Wouldn’t surprise me if Heeke/Robbins decided to cut bait with some non-revenue generating sports
Most sports don't generate revenue.

I would imagine at the UA right now only basketball really is cash positive. Football is probably close, and winning will help that bottom line.
 

TJ

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Most sports don't generate revenue.

I would imagine at the UA right now only basketball really is cash positive. Football is probably close, and winning will help that bottom line.
football and basketball are net positive. I heard a few years ago that women’s hoops was actually out of the red. Baseball is fine. Everything else is a drain
 
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Dback Jon

Dback Jon

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football and basketball are net positive. I heard a few years ago that women’s hoops was actually out of the red. Baseball is fine. Everything else is a drain
Yeah, I meant both basketball teams - with the success they have been having on both sides, they should be cash positive.
 
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Dback Jon

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Dback Jon

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The first sport that would be cut in my opinion would be men & women's cross country.
Why?

Those are cheap sports to compete in plus then you can use the same runners in track and field

Unless they’re completely eliminating the track and field program, it would make zero sense to cut cross-country, especially since the cross country coach is also one of the track and field coaches
 

TJ

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I'll put this out there so people stop losing their damn minds over it:

This will not affect Jedd's contract. There is outside funding in place to cover the cost.
 
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