August 16, 2007
Gators giving $6 million to academics for scholarships
It's not every day that you see an athletics department volunteering to create academic scholarships, but that's exactly what the Florida Gators are doing.
Flush from their three national championships in roughly a year's span, the Florida Athletic Department is making a $6 million donation to the university to fund academic scholarships, mostly for UF students who are the first in their families to attend college.
''Historically, UF has gone to athletics in times of emergency,'' UF President Bernard Machen said Wednesday. "This is more of a gesture from athletics based upon the incredible success they've had.''
...
The cash windfall couldn't come at a better time. Florida's public universities are facing cuts of 4 percent to 10 percent because of shortfalls in sales-tax collections. Machen is trimming $34 million from the academic operating budget.
UF's athletic department has given $40 million to academics since 1990. In addition to the $6 million, the department will add a guaranteed $1 million to its annual budgets from now on to transfer to the school's academic programs beginning this year. Machen said UF may be the only school in the country doing that.
''We're blessed,'' Machen said. "Less than a dozen or two [dozen] programs in the country are in the black.''
Florida is setting a really high bar at a time where school's are struggling with budget concerns. It would be great to see some of the other teams match UF's efforts. (Especially, say... Georgia... who has the most profitable athletics program in the country.)
Comments:
hrposon said:
posted on August 16, 2007 11:39 AM — 98.197.149.114 — link — abuse?
There's a university in northern Indiana that has been funding it's academic programs with the revenues from it's athletic program for nearly a century. It's great that the Gators are taking the same approach. Can I assume that the tax on a hotel or rental car in Florida will be reduced next year?
gatorstud said:
posted on August 16, 2007 11:45 AM — 69.95.111.248 — link — abuse?
sem. nation..lol...good post....yeah..it seems lately that when your university is in the news..it is usually something bad....but i am glad to see that the athletic dept..is stepping up to the plate......
IT'S GREAT TO BE..A FLORIDA GATOR..
go gators....and hokies
gatorhippy said:
posted on August 16, 2007 1:01 PM — 209.16.115.5 — link — abuse?
c-dogg (#3):
This isn't from bowl money...
It's made possible by playing that extra home game against Northwestern Southern School for the Blind that everybody is always jawing about...
UF admin seems to know what's important...
Zac said:
posted on August 16, 2007 2:11 PM — 209.36.193.14 — link — abuse?
Now, that's an athletic dept. to be proud of, not to mention said 3 N.C.'s in the same year. I could learn to be a UF fan. Clearly, the Gator's athletic dept. has thier priorities straight. But, what about this Machen dude?!? How does he justify triming 34 million from academics? Seems to me he doesn't have his priorties straight.
posted on August 16, 2007 2:28 PM — link — abuse?Kevin Donahue said:
@hrposon - Yes, pretty easy to say that for private schools that don't disclose revenues. ((rolls eyes))
gatorhippy said:
posted on August 16, 2007 2:49 PM — 209.16.115.5 — link — abuse?
Zac (#9):
Machen had to trim the budget because of the state tax cuts that were mentioned in the sentence prior to that one...
This is going on all ofver the state at all levels of govenrment...
Stae, County, and Municiapl...
cardman steve said:
posted on August 16, 2007 5:38 PM — 74.131.212.190 — link — abuse?
ANOTHER GOOD CAUSE AND DON,T LIKE THE GATORS. YOUNG FOLKS NEED THE HELP AND THE GATORS ARE ON A ROLL. GO GATORS!!!
posted on August 16, 2007 5:44 PM — 64.12.116.136 — link — abuse?
I don't know that Georgia is the most profitable Athletics department in the country, but they're not quite the most profitable college football team in the country.
The link above leads you to a forbes.com article which ranks college football programs like they were seperate businesses, and as they generate revenue for the university, the athletics department, the conferences, and the community. If you recall, Forbes ranks the various teams in professional sports annually according to their estimated value.
Forbes gives their list of the top 15 programs in the country. It's no coincidence that the top school is one who doesn't belong to a conference and doesn't have to share their piece of the pie.
Here are the results. You can read the article if you want the individual break-down.1) Notre Dame
2) Texas
3) Georgia
4) Michigan
5) Florida
6) Ohio State
7) Alabama
8) Tennessee
9) Oklahoma
10) LSU
11) Auburn
12) Penn State
13) South Carolina
14) Texas A+M
15) WisconsinI'd have to say that South Carolina is the biggest surprise as far as who is on there. For who isn't, I wonder where USC and FSU are?
Half the teams are from the SEC. Hmmm...
SportSnipe.com Florida Football said:
posted on August 16, 2007 6:19 PM — 192.80.54.109 — link — abuse?
Good job Florida. Its nice to see this day in age, especially an athletic powerhouse like Florida, that the school can give back what really matters most in college.
Zac said:
posted on August 16, 2007 7:43 PM — 64.12.116.136 — link — abuse?
GatorH, that's why I'm not president of a university, which is probably just as well. I don't know that I'd be capable of making some of the hard choices they're perhaps forced to make. And, it's easy to sit back and place blame, not having the complete picture. But, 34 million dollars... Likely the FL Sales Tax deficet is outfall from high gassoline prices impacting the tourist trade. So, I'd better stop here. I could go on forever regarding that issue.
posted on August 16, 2007 8:38 PM — link — abuse?
War Eagle - I'll find the more correct link. Last year (I think it was) there was a pretty intensive study and Georgia was the most profitable athletic department. (Notre Dame excluded, of course, as they don't disclose)
UPDATE: Found it. Georgia is the most profitable college athletic program in the nation. Also updated the original post.
posted on August 17, 2007 11:05 AM — 64.12.116.136 — link — abuse?
Kev #18: It's a shame that the AJC didn't list in their article any other schools near the top, but I guess it doesn't really matter, since we're only really concerned with football on this site.
You have to wonder why Miami isn't on the list, too. Maybe Canes Alum can shine some of his insight into that.
IBleedOrange said:
posted on August 17, 2007 4:13 PM — 71.52.46.154 — link — abuse?
Canes Alum -
People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Don't act like Miami is out there trying to recruit upstanding young men who would be a good fit in their university's community and are also good at football. You guys have the biggest band of incouragable thugs ever assembled throwing the football (and helmets and fists and cleats) around down there. Your just pissed 'cause UF is good and UM is not. I'm the antithesis of a UF fan, but you've got to give credit where credit is due.
As far as ND being at the top of the revenue list, you've got to look at their longstanding contract with a TV station you can pick up all over the country with a pair of rabbit ears as the main reason why they're at or near the top of that list. It has enabled them to build an incredible fan base across the country, not to mention the fact that nearly every pale skinned red-headed Irish kid in the nation felt a connection to "The Fighting Irish" since before they knew the meaning of the term "pass interference".
gatorhippy said:
posted on August 17, 2007 4:56 PM — 209.16.115.5 — link — abuse?
Ben (#23):
I'll take a crack at it...
Perhaps because politics in this country at all levels; national, state, county, municipal; is driven by the lobby and personal interest ($)...
Rather than what is in the best interest of the average citizen...
hrposon said:
posted on August 17, 2007 10:06 PM — 98.197.149.114 — link — abuse?
@14 War Eagle Atlanta - Good Info.. The Forbes list could also be the top 15 finishers in the BCS standings, give or take 1 or 2 teams. With the exception of Notre Dame, they also could be the largest student population schools. Also interesting, there are no PAC 10 schools on the list.
Tomcat said:
posted on August 18, 2007 4:54 AM — 207.193.30.194 — link — abuse?
#25 Nah gatorhippy dont lower yourself to that level.I'm of the opinion that lawyers should be banned from the political arena of course there's another blog for that, known as the American political scene.
Congrats to UF on doing the right thing and I find it interesting that more schools are not doing the same.
#14 WarEagle Atl I see that it is only SEC, Big-10 and Big XII schools in the top 15?
Where's the ACC and Pac-10?
Hey gatorhippy down here if you are a Tex A&M alum you can win Gov with 29% of the Pop vote-go figure
Its no doubt that UT is on the list all games are sold out to season ticket holders with no new season tickets being sold. Face value for a single game runs between 60 to 90 with 80,000 plus sold. They spend their money on giant scoreboards and stadium expansions.
Congrats to UF
Hookem
posted on August 18, 2007 12:56 PM — 205.188.116.136 — link — abuse?
Tomcat: Yea, you wonder where a lot of schools are on that list. Perhaps a reason why some conferences are not represented is the revenue sharing format with the conferences. If only one or two teams go to a bowl, their particular share of bowl revenue gets spread among too many schools.
The SEC had quite a few teams land in big bowls last year. Although that money gets spread around, if half your conference goes to a bowl, then it adds up. Also, the SEC leads the country in attendance. Filling seats with asses is the biggest factor in a healthy bottom line. (pun intended)
Alas, you have the old adage about collegiate sports: At most schools, basketball pays for itself. Football pays for itself plus everything else.
hrposen: The Forbes list for pro sports is very interesting, too. A few years ago, the Washington Redskins became the first US sports team to exceed $1B in value--in spite of them going through some suck-ass years. This is the first time I've seen them do something for college sports though.
CANES ALUM said:
posted on August 19, 2007 10:06 PM — 71.100.221.50 — link — abuse?
IBleedOrange, just an update for you. It's not the 80's any more, so don't judge the Miami program by what we did in the 80's with recruits. Can you name any major problems that Miami has had this off season.......I didn't think so.
Cape Cod Tom '84 Rutgers said:
posted on August 19, 2007 10:41 PM — 24.60.228.158 — link — abuse?
#16 Canes Alum;
The SEC may indeed have the dumbest athletes, but it doesn't stand alone. Many non-SEC schools have their quota as well, that includes Princeton University, renown to be the most selective school in the nation.
Dumb athletes serve and important purpose. They can be exploited to generate dollars to build universities. This in turn benefits many many people. It's also good for the dumb ass athlete, who otherwise would have no direction and no reason to live.
I know, I know, it soulds harsh, but it's true.
I'm all for lowering admission standards to gain talent. It doesn't hurt the university much for the dean of admissions to turn a blind eye on occasion. Hell ,they've been doing it for years anyway. Why not come clean? Be honest about what is already obvious. Better still, make it a part of university policy!
T-Mac said:
posted on August 20, 2007 12:36 AM — 66.78.139.117 — link — abuse?
Post 32, If it wasn't for the dumb ass athlete,(as you put it) you guy's wouldn't have anything to talk about!
T-Mac aint not neva dumb!!
Shout out to all my Doggs on Fanblogs!T-Mac has had a long day.
T-Mac will post when he can.
*T-Mac approved this message.
Cape Cod Tom '84 Rutgers said:
posted on August 20, 2007 9:44 AM — 24.60.228.158 — link — abuse?
T-Mac;
You aren't a dumb ass. Let's face it though, how can anyone expect footballers to win titles and perform well in school simultaneously? It ain't easy. I couldn't do it, and I'm a freak'in genius, you can tell by my blogs.
All I'm saying is...Abe Lincoln was wrong when he said 'all men are created equal.' Some are smarter than others, some stronger. My vision is that there's a place for everyone walking this planet. Let's not cut anyone out of an opportunity just because they have low grade point averages.
Let's consider the big picture for one moment. College football is great for the economy. If students with low grades can contribute to building a stronger economy by playing football, then by all means, let them in! Everyone will benefit from it.
IBleedOrange said:
posted on August 21, 2007 6:32 PM — 71.52.46.154 — link — abuse?
CANES ALUM
Seeing as I was born in '81, I really don't remember (or care) what happened at UM in the '80s. What I do remember was the entire team fighting on the field, some using their helmets as weopons. I don't know, maybe there are some other factors that play a role in my vision of the academic standard for athletes at "Da U" like Edgrine James' grill or listening to Devin Hester talk. I know there are some dumb athletes that got their degrees from the same university as I did. I won't dispute that, but that has nothing to do with the topic of this thread and I thought that it was a pretty low class move to pop a shot at the quality of academics in the SEC simply becasue it pains you too much to say something positive about The University of Florida.
Zac said:
posted on August 25, 2007 11:18 PM — 64.12.116.136 — link — abuse?
CCT '84: I don't know how some of them do it, but they do. There were a couple of linemen on one of Coach Osborn's better NE teams who went to Med School; there were a couple of linemen at WVU who did the same thing. I don't know what it is about the QB position, but you hear about many of them going Rhode Scholar. Rare as it may seem, if a kid has his $hit together, is organized, is willing to discipline himself and make sacrifices, it can happen. My oldest son started at OT his freshman year in HS. They moved him to C, where he really excelled. He got straight "A"'s. I'm thinking to myself he's getting great grades; he'll be an inspiration to his team mates; the Varsity coach knows him by name; he'll work his way up to start for the Varsity; UConn will come calling (You take the good with the bad.); he'll get a scholarship and dad won't have to pay for his college. Instead, he decided football wasn't challenging enough and opted for Tang Soo Do classes, something dad had to pay for. Like I said; you take the good with the bad.
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SEMINOLE_NATION said:
posted on August 16, 2007 10:41 AM — 71.14.108.232 — link — abuse?WOW!!!
WAY TO GO UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA!!!
My hats off to the Gators. I have total respect for what they're going. Their athletic department is very successful and it's great to see them doing great things with that success. I hope other universities take note and follow UF's lead.
Again, kudos to UF for being the LEADER in dedication to academic success.
With their athletic department doing good things with the riches of their success - I wish them nothing but more athletic success in the future (as long as it's not at the expense of a certain school).