Can state afford 3 Division I programs?

By The Gazette Editorial Board

Talk about ironic timing. At the height of success, the University of Northern Iowa athletics program faces its greatest threat to continued lofty achievement: A drastic reduction or elimination of taxpayer support.

Nonetheless, we understand why the state Board of Regents is considering such a proposal for the three public universities' Division I athletic programs. After all, regents have implemented large budget cuts to academic programs because of the recession and steep declines in tax revenue. Athletics should not be immune when public money is involved.

But we also urge regents to carefully weigh all the benefits against the costs before acting. Allow programs reasonable time to devise solutions. Athletics has educational and other values. Investment in existing facilities also is at stake.

Clearly, UNI would be affected most if the proposal becomes policy - 42 percent, or $4.5 million, of its athletics budget is subsidized from state general fund money and student fees. The University of Iowa, with a budget about six times larger than UNI's, is self-sustaining. Iowa State University's budget, four times more than UNI's, receives general fund money, but it's less than 7 percent of spending.

The overarching question: Can Iowa afford Division I athletics at all three public universities?

We hope so, as long as athletics is compatible with the academic missions. But affordability is a valid question.

UNI teams compete at a high level with a budget among the lowest 10 percent of all Division I schools. Yet without subsidies, would the men's basketball team have qualified for the NCAA tournament five times in seven years, including this year's Sweet 16 run?

Would UNI football have earned playoff berths five of the last nine years, including the 2005 national title game?

Benefits vs. costs aren't all black and white. Athletics programs help draw athletes and other students to our schools. They boost a university's identity and marketing strategy. They provide an economic spark and entertainment for hundreds of thousands of fans who fork out much money for games, concessions, T-shirts and the like.

Yet expecting athletic programs to be self-sustaining when academic budgets are being slashed seems justified, fair.

Our state's Division I programs also face national competitive pressures: Budgets have soared 50 percent since 2004. Many head coaches are paid millions. Only a couple dozen Division I schools operate in the black, the UI among them. The NCAA may need reforms.

UNI has done a lot with less. The Panthers have a higher profile.

But their next game plan is likely the most important yet.