Scholastic Smackdown: Academics Vs. Sports in California Funding Tilt

The impetus for the resolution is certainly rooted, in part, within the "doing more with less" narrative that all public universities in California have been handed. Academic programs have suffered massive budget cuts, and the subsidies offered to DIA (through the chancellor's discretionary spending, in the case of UC Berkeley) are considered by many to be misappropriated.

Perhaps the resolution, co-signed by eight university professors, might not be as newsworthy if it was not for the 21-page "FAQ" that UC Berkeley Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour released before the Academic Senate vote. Barbour's intention with the FAQ was to present "ample evidence regarding the tangible and intangible benefits of a robust Athletics program; our careful stewardship of precious resources . . . and the steps we are taking towards our long-term, aspirational goal of financial self-sufficiency."

In an effort to be transparent, Barbour presented the DIA's budget numbers for this fiscal year and the next, compared to recent years. According to the FAQ, in addition to DIA's "institutional support" (chancellor support and student registration fees), the department has run annual deficits, backed by university loans and repaid through fiscal year 2007, when Chancellor Birgeneau forgave DIA its $31.4 million debt to the university. Barbour insists that the deficits projected for this year and next, $12.2 million, "will be repaid in the future from external sources of revenue."

A recent article from Inside Higher Ed provides more evidence of the disappointment felt by some in the academic community at UC Berkeley over what they feel is a prioritization of athletics over academia: Customarily, the library on campus stays open 24 hours during finals week, but not this semester -- the university cited a "lack of funds." Though a donor ultimately offered to cover the operating costs to continue the tradition, Brian Barsky, a professor of computer science at UC Berkeley and co-signer of the resolution, was dissatisfied.

"Apparently the chancellor couldn't find the funds to keep the library open even though the cost was a fraction of 1 percent of what he takes out of his discretionary funds to subsidize Intercollegiate Athletics," Barsky told Inside Higher Ed. "The amount was less than what the football team pays to the local luxury hotel where it stays on the eve of each home game. What does that say about the priorities of this great institution, the best public university in the country?"

The day after the Academic Senate voted to approve the Intercollegiate Athletics resolution, the Bay Area public radio program "Forum" hosted a discussion on the UC Berkeley sports budget issue, featuring Barsky; Barbour; Dan Mogulof, executive director of public affairs for UC Berkeley; Amy Perko, executive director of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics; and Alice Agogino, professor of mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley, also a co-signer of the resolution. The program focused on a central question: What is the core mission of the university, and is athletics a component to that mission, particularly within the context of such dire fiscal constraints?

During the program, Barbour pointed out that institutional support for DIA has been cut by 20 percent, and that the department is "sharing the pain" with the rest of campus in the face of state budget cuts to higher education. When discussing why DIA couldn't impose more drastic cuts, Barbour insisted that athletic department spending cuts need to be addressed nationwide. According to the FAQ she released on behalf of DIA, a 2009 NCAA study showed that only 25 of more than 300 programs at the Division 1 level generated a surplus; put another way, the vast majority of athletic programs are in the same boat as UC Berkeley. Barbour says that if UC Berkeley's athletics department had to pay its own way, it would no longer be competitive, which would go "against Berkeley's principle of excellence."

Both Mogulof and Barbour also made clear that the institutional support for DIA is largely directed toward the university's compliance with Title IX and commitment to gender equity. According to the FAQ, only the men's football and basketball teams generate a profit, so the net cost of the 14 women's teams, around $8 million, are covered in large part by annual institutional support.

In terms of the university assessing the competing priorities of academics and athletics, Mogulof admitted there are differing, even "religious" views of what a great university should be. He said the chancellor believes that academics, research, and education are at the heart of at a great school, but that that vision includes more than just academics. He likened a great university to a small town, with a "variety of endeavors that span the spectrum of human expression, human interest and human knowledge." Mogulof insisted that the arts and athletics are key components of an excellent university.

UC Berkeley is not immune to the harsh realities that a budget crisis brings to bear. Stanford University's athletics department, which operates on a budget largely tied to a waning endowment, is likely to face many of the same questions now confronting UC Berkeley. A recent survey of 95 college presidents whose institutions compete in the 119-member Football Bowl Subdivision showed that 85 percent of the presidents thought compensation for football and basketball coaches was excessive, said Amy Perko, executive director of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. This passage from the survey is illuminating: "The qualitative research suggests that presidents see the issue of coaches' salaries as a key contributor to the 'arms race' in intercollegiate athletics. Coaches' salaries are seen as the greatest impediment to sustainability."

Certainly, it will take more than lowering coaches' salaries for most large university athletic departments to end their deficits. Each institution will have to address its specific circumstances -- perhaps reducing the number of coaches (Perko cited notable growth in intercollegiate sports-specific personnel), or maybe limiting the number of meets, games, or matches.

In many ways, UC Berkeley's budget woes, which have played out in a public setting all year, have contributed to an important national dialogue. Every public institution of higher learning in this country is situated amongst the backdrop of a beleaguered economic landscape, and if it's not the athletic department forcing a university official to assess priorities, it's something else: scheduled construction of new facilities, the hiring or firing of professors or staff, or whether to decrease enrollment numbers. Unquestionably, it behooves colleges and universities across the country to pay close attention to and engage in this national dialogue, lest they encounter a fate similar to UC's.