University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has announced scholarship cuts for 3 athletics programs, including the men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams, and the Nordic Ski program.
Referring to the move as “changes to the Phoenix NCAA Division 1 Student Athlete Tuition Waiver Program,” the university will discontinue tuition waivers to these programs beginning in July of 2020. Both programs will continue to compete at the Division I level, but without tuition waivers funded by the university.
The programs have been given the opportunity to privately fund scholarships, but by eliminating the tuition waiver program the university has pushed the burden of funding those scholarships back on to the athletics programs.
The school says that rather than spread the cuts out across all 16 programs, they made the decision to eliminate the waivers from the swimming and Nordic programs based on “roster size, program operational costs, ability to compete at the Division I level, revenue generation, opportunities to win Horizon League championships, and others.”
“There is no question that the Phoenix athletic program is one of our biggest assets,” UW-Green Bay Chancellor Gary L. Miller noted. “Our DI student athletes excel in the classroom, serve as campus and community leaders and represent the university with great poise across the country. We are fully committed to the program, and like every organization, we constantly review our programs and make adjustments to increase quality, improve financial standing, or grow. By making this move, we are positioning the entire program for continued excellence.”
“This shift in strategy without discontinuing any sport offerings is intended to right-size the revenue-expense profile for our Phoenix athletics program,” Green Bay Athletics Director Charles Guthrie shared when making the announcement. “We continue to be committed to these exciting sports as part of our portfolio and will recruit and field teams in these areas as we compete actively in the Horizon League.”
The programs have been given the opportunity to privately fund scholarships, but by eliminating the tuition waiver program the university has pushed the burden of funding those scholarships back on to the athletics programs.
The school is projecting a $580,000 cost savings through the move.
The UW-Green Bay men finished 3rd and women 5th at the 2019 Horizon League Championships. The men’s was 4th (out of then 7 teams) in 2015: the year before 4th-year head coach Reed Robelot took over. They then finished 6th, 5th, 4th, and 4th during his tenure. The Green Bay women were 3rd before Robelot took over, and have finished 4th, 4th, 6th, and 5th in the last 4 seasons (out of 8 teams).
A list of Frequently Asked Questions, published by UW-Green Bay:
FAQs regarding Green Bay Athletics and the waiver program transition:
Q: What changes are being made to the UW-Green Bay University Waiver Exchange Program?
A: The level of funding available through the University waiver exchange program is going to be reduced starting in the 2020-2021 academic year. After the Athletics department and University looked strategically at the various waiver offerings, there will no longer be any waiver support for two athletic programs (Swimming and Diving and Nordic Ski).
Q: What is a student-athlete tuition waiver?
A: A student-athlete tuition waiver is a form of financial support provided by the University and Athletic Department to a student-athlete on a collegiate athletics team. This waiver applies to partial or full cost of tuition. Per the NCAA, full scholarships cover tuition and fees, room, board and course-related books. The majority of student-athletes who receive athletics scholarships through the University receive an amount covering only a portion of these costs.
Q: Which sports/student-athletes will this change impact?
A: Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving and Men’s and Women’s Nordic Ski
Q: How many student-athletes will be impacted?
A: Between 50-60 student-athletes will be impacted by this change.
Q: When will these changes take effect?
A: The Athletics department will be providing student-athletes with a one-year notification of this change. Changes will take place beginning with the 2020-2021 academic year. In the upcoming 2019-2020 academic year, student-athletes in these two programs will continue to receive the same level of waiver support as they did in 2018-2019.
Q: How were UW-Green Bay’s athletic portfolio of sports evaluated, and why are these the only two programs selected for this adjustment?
A: The Athletics department evaluated all sport offerings. The ultimate decision narrowing down to these two athletic programs was based on several factors, including but not limited to: roster size, revenue generation, conference affiliation, operational budget costs and other financial implications. The department’s priority was to continue to maintain a 16-sport portfolio of athletic teams, while not eliminating any athletic programs. Removing waiver support for these two programs, while still keeping an avenue open to provide scholarships through fundraising, proved to be the most viable option.
Q: UW-Green Bay has provided student-athletes with waivers for many years. Why is the program changing now?
A: The University waiver exchange program is not being funded to the same level it has in the past starting in the 2020-2021 academic year. This was a strategic decision made to more closely align overall revenues to expenses.
Q: How unusual is it for a Division 1 institution to have some students on waivers and some who are not?
A: UW-Green Bay’s approach mimics many Division I institutions in this way. It is extremely rare for an Athletic Department to have all of its student-athletes receiving full aid. As an institution, 78% of the student-athletes at UW-Green Bay are on a partial scholarship, 10% receive the full cost of attendance, 7% receive full grant-in-aid and 5% do not receive any aid.
Q: Is the UW-Green Bay athletic program financially healthy?
A: With the rising cost to compete at a high level, recruit quality student-athletes, travel efficiently and staff 16 athletic teams, the department is challenged like the majority of its peers as a small NCAA Division I mid-major department. Revenue has not increased to the level of increased expenses, resulting in the need to evaluate our operations. While the fundraising and external revenue streams continue to be healthy, they still are not at the level needed to provide waivers for all student-athletes.
Q: Who made the decision?
A: The Director of Athletics and the University’s executive leadership team decided to make the change to align the Athletics budget with other University department units.
Q: Do you expect students who are currently attending UW-Green Bay on a waiver to leave?
A: The department understands this change was one that the student-athletes did not anticipate when signing to attend the University. The department will do its best to assist any Green Bay student-athlete who seeks to move on from UW-Green Bay. The department strongly believes a focus on fundraising efforts for scholarships will aid in keeping student-athletes as a mechanism of replacing waiver support with private funding.
Q: How does this change impact the University’s NCAA Division 1 status?
A: Division I status is dependent on the number of sports at an institution, not the number of sports in which athletes receive aid. The department is not eliminating any program, instead it is no longer providing tuition waivers for two programs. This decision will not affect the University’s NCAA Division I status.
Q: Why didn’t the University spread out the impact across all 16 programs in athletics?
A: The decision to impact these two selected programs was made with various factors in mind, including roster size, program operational costs, ability to compete at the Division I level, revenue generation, opportunities to win Horizon League championships, and others. Revenue has not increased to the level of increased expenses, resulting in the need to evaluate specific operations. While the fundraising and external revenue streams continue to be healthy, they still are not at the level needed to provide waivers for all student-athletes.
Q: Will there be future cuts?
A: Currently there are no plans for further reductions.
Q: What about recent large scale projects like the new soccer stadium and scoreboard?
A: Recent facility upgrades such as the new Kress Center scoreboard and Aldo Santaga Soccer Stadium were funded through private donations or student voted fees. There are also additional plans for softball enhancements this summer which will be 100% funded through private donations. The athletic department will continue to look to accomplish projects and initiatives utilizing private donations or earned income such as ticket sales and merchandising.
Q: What is the total dollar impact of the tuition waiver reductions?
A: The projected dollar impact for the reductions is around $580,000.
Q: As a student-athlete impacted by this change, what are my rights?
A: Student-athletes are encouraged to apply for scholarships available through the University. The athletic department will assist in notifying student-athletes of available outside scholarship opportunities as they arise. Some student-athletes may choose to request a transfer from UW-Green Bay to another institution, and Green Bay Athletics and the University will support the student-athlete’s decision if they choose to do so.
Q: Who can I talk to about this decision?
A: Student-athletes are advised to speak to Kassie Batchelor, Sr. Associate AD. Donors and fans should contact Molly Vandervest, Sr. Associate AD, and parents of affected student-athletes may contact Charles Guthrie, UW-Green Bay Athletics Director.
Q: How can the University afford to pay for travel, accommodations and expenses to play in
postseason tournaments such as the CIT and WNIT in basketball?
A: Some postseason tournaments, such as the CIT and WNIT in basketball, or the NIVC in volleyball, carry a fee for different reasons. Most postseason tournaments only charge a fee if the school decides to host a home game. Specifically to this season, the CIT covers all travel related expenses and the cost for officials. Hosting games in the CIT or WNIT, which Green Bay did this season, does come with a fee. Fortunately, the department had a special donor step up to help fund these costs, with the remaining costs paid for through the generation of revenue by the program throughout this season. Specifically, the men’s basketball program generates special revenue by playing in guarantee road games against high major opponents (Ex. Michigan State, Wisconsin, Creighton, etc.). These figures for only one game can approach or be at six figure amounts, which allows the program to play in tournaments such as the CIT or CBI. Additionally, playing home games can drive revenue for the department, accounting for ticket sales, concessions, parking, etc. The two basketball programs are the engines that drive Green Bay Athletics and its revenue generation, thus the interest in playing, and potentially investing a reasonable amount, in postseason tournaments.
They are adding back waivers to the program this Fall I heard.
GREAT idea for all D1 programs!!! Then the universities can pay Presidents and mindless gnomes even more money and rob the students…Oh my bad the students are fine in that they can take student loans from “da govnment” heck at 6.8% they are a bargain. This way universities can build mega-offices, academic buildings and pay Deans mo money!!! Why did I not think of this SHAM scheme?
This unfortunate news was a long time coming, in my opinion. Having grown up in northeastern WI and seeing this program over the years has made me realize that swimming/diving and Nordic skiing are unfortunately taking the major brunt of a mismanaged department. The reality is that other than Women’s Basketball, UWGB is not consistently successful in any other sport within the Horizon League. They are in the middle of the pack within the conference, at best. So they will find new ways to combat rising costs and make those “other” sports more successful. Swimming is unfortunately not cost-efficient with pool costs, either. This essentially says that unless they obtain private funding, the program will gradually just die.
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I think you have to have 16 sports to stay as a NCAA D1 level school (do not need to offer scholarships).
That’s correct.
I think you missed my point. They can eventually just find a more cost-efficient sport and replace swimming eventually if UWGB Swim/Dive can’t sustain itself financially. But thank you for making that point
Any idea if they were fully funded for men’s and women’s swimming?
How many scholarships is a fully funded Nordic program?
6.3 men and 7 women for D1/D2.
http://scholarshipstats.com/skiing.html
Pretty good odds of getting scholarship on ski team. Looks like only 8 men and 8 women on team.