#10: Cal Lutheran begins construction on new Softball dugouts and is also in the design phase of a new Track & Field facility. (link) |
#9: Hartford elevates Women’s Lacrosse HC Elizabeth Morrison to HC. (link) |
#8: Birmingham-Southern President Daniel Coleman is confident BSC will remain open through this school year, with Birmingham mayor Randall Woodfin set to present an economic development plan later this month that would include support for the college. (link)
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#7: Baldwin Wallace College of Education and Health Sciences Dean Steve Dittmore ponders whether college athletics has reached peak sport sponsorship, noting that DIII schools are sponsoring more sports, 20.58 on average in 2021-22 compared to 18.56 in 2002-03 and the overall number of sport sponsored increasing from 2019-20 to 2021-22 despite there being 11 less institutions. “Conclusion? Division III has always valued the student-athlete experience far more than other divisions by offering increased participation opportunities and embracing a campus culture in which, in many instances, more than half of the student body participates in a sport. … While the pandemic temporarily slowed growth of sports sponsorship in Division III, the growth mindset is back on track.” Dittmore adds: “It is evident that Division III institutions view sports sponsorship as both an essential tool to maintaining or increasing enrollment and as part of their individual missions. However, that bubble may be ready to burst as Division III schools appear to be pulling back on adding sports. … While adding sports certainly has the potential to boost enrollment, it does create operational challenges with additional needs for practice facilities and locker room space. Athletic departments concerned with creating a positive student-athlete experience might be reconsidering how to foster that environment when athletes need to store gear in their dorm rooms or schedule lifts at odd times in order to not miss class. More sports equals more costs.” (link)
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#6: St. John Fisher unveils a renovated varsity weight room. (link) |
#5: Marymount has promoted Asst. VP/AD Jill McCabe to VP for Athletics, Student Wellness and Ministry. (link) |
#4: MLive’s Matthew Miller profiles how private institutions in Michigan are using a bevy of sports programs to stay viable amidst decreasing enrollment and increased financial pressures. The growth in the percentage of student-athletes who compete in athletics has grown significantly since 2003, with every DIII growing by at least 30%. One major believer in growth through athletics is Adrian, with President Jeff Docking noting 72% of enrollment since 2005 is attributable to athletics. The Adrian portfolio includes 50 sport programs and accounted for over half of total enrollment in 2021. Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities President Robert LeFerve: “We haven’t gotten close to the bottom of the well of students that want to continue their sports journey in college and won’t be playing Division I. […] It turns out these programs are relatively inexpensive to run, because you’re not paying $5 million for a head football coach or $95 million. You don’t have billion-dollar sports facilities. You’re really doing things on a relatively shoestring budget, so the enrollment gains you get do translate directly into money for the classroom.” Docking retorts that the addition of sports cannot be done on too small of a budget “because students are coming out of high schools with beautiful facilities,” also noting that the college has invested tens of millions in facilities to accommodate this growth. More. (link)
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#3: The final Football regional rankings have Springfield, Johns Hopkins, Randolph-Macon, Mount Union, Wartburg and Wisconsin-La Crosse atop their respective rankings. (link); In Volleyball, Wesleyan (CT), Springfield, Ithaca, NYU, Juniata, Emory, Hope, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Northwestern-St. Paul and Trinity (TX) lead their respective regions. (link); Championship brackets for Field Hockey (link), Women’s Soccer (link) and Men’s Soccer (link) were unveiled.
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#2: Fontbonne is facing a $5.2M deficit in FY24 and is proposing eliminating over 20 degree programs, 18 faculty positions, the Esports program and more. (link) |
#1: Our thoughts go out to Skidmore Men’s Basketball HC Joe Burke and his family, whose house burned down over the weekend. (link) |
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