Meeting planned tomorrow about UNI baseball

University of Northern Iowa athletics director Troy Dannen said Monday he has a meeting planned Tuesday with supporters of the Panthers baseball program who think they can keep it alive through "alternative" outside means.

Dannen announced in early March that the school was dropping baseball because a drop in state funding was creating financial problems  in the athletics department. The caveat to that announcement was that the program could be saved for three years if $1.2 million was raised by April 5. It would take $10 million to have the program permanently endowed. 

A public fundraising campaign has netted roughly $250,000, well short of what is needed, with the deadline passing quietly Sunday. But head coach Rick Heller said late last week there had been meetings between UNI administration, himself and others about other ways to keep baseball at the school.

Dannen concurred that was the case, and that another meeting has been scheduled for late Tuesday.

"Everything is still status quo, as of right now," he said. "There's really not a lot I can say."

Dannen was asked if he felt the baseball program could be saved or if the inevitable is just being postponed.

"That's tough for me to say," he said. "I don't want to go too far in saying anything.

"If there is an alternative way to fund the program, we owe it to everyone to explore it."

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