VIII. The Intercollegiate Athletic Program Historically William and Mary has accepted intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of its educational mission, and been committed to full academic and social integration of studentathletes into the general student population. Within this context, the College has established a broad-based, competitive program that affords a wide range of opportunities for participation.

The Committee's review of intercollegiate athletics verifies the success of this model. In 1993-94, 623 students participated in 25 different sports (13 men's and 12 women's). Because of their academic achievements, student-athletes are regularly among those named Monroe and William and Mary Scholars. Overall, the graduation rate for athletes parallels that of the general student body and places William and Mary in the top 3% of Division I schools across the nation. The Committee accepts that this model is appropriate for the College and has resulted in an intercollegiate athletic program of high quality.

Regardless of past successes, the Committee's review highlights a number of concerns for the future. Historically, intercollegiate athletics has consistently operated prudently and within the expenditure budget approved by the Board of Visitors. However, slower than expected growth in revenue, increases in grants-in-aid resulting from the rapid rise in tuition, the need to augment the budgets of some programs and the cost of measures to address gender equity have resulted in the department operating with a significant deficit in the current year. For 1994-95, this deficit is appropriately covered by athletic reserve funds accumulated over a number of years of good financial performance. With depletion of these funds in 1994-95, the athletic department must continue to operate its program in a financially balanced position. This Plan recommends ways to achieve this goal.

The student athletic fee is the major source of revenue supporting the intercollegiate athletics program (61% in 1994-95), and directly affects the overall cost of a William and Mary education. As a result, increases in the student fee should be strictly controlled.

While 45% of intercollegiate athletes are from Virginia, the percentage of slotted student-athletes from out-of-state (77%) is disproportionately high compared to out-of-state representation in the student body as a whole (34%). This imbalance has a significant negative impact on the athletic budget.

Intercollegiate athletics has a strong tradition of leadership in women's sports and has taken steps to address gender equity concerns. Since 1991, $705,000 has been added to women's sports budgets. However, evolving legal standards in this area will continue to necessitate program changes nationwide. As William and Mary seeks to ensure gender equity, in response to its own commitment to fairness as well as to legal requirements, serious resource allocation issues emerge which this Plan also seeks to address.

Goal 1:
To maintain its financial stability, require that the intercollegiate athletic program annually operate in a balanced fiscal position.

Strategies:

1. Require an immediate 10% reduction in administrative expense.  This reduction must occur in one year rather than over the three-year period provided other administrative and student service units. To maintain a balanced budget, the department will have no opportunity to recover up to 50% of the reduction.
2. Downsize the athletic program to 23 sports by dropping wrestling and fencing at the end of the current academic year.
3. Increase reliance on alternative revenue sources including private endowment income and annual giving support, within the context of university fund raising priorities.
4. Limit the percentage increase in the student athletic fee to the percentage increase in student tuition.
5. Require that intercollegiate athletics develop a fiscally balanced annual operating budget. Approved increases in base expenditures should not exceed the expected increase in base revenues, and funds should be available to support proposed one-time expenditures.
6. Continue to press vigorously for the adoption of costcontainment and cost-reduction measures at the national and conference levels.
7. Encourage the establishment of a reserve fund for the program.  In the future, these funds shall be used to support necessary one-time expenditures by the department; they should not be used to support continuing expenditures.

Strategy:

1. Increase the percentage of slotted in-state athletes from the current 23% to 35% within three years, with a goal of 40% within five years. To ensure that significant progress is occurring, the Provost will annually review the efforts of the Athletics Department in reaching these goals.

Strategies:

1. Reprogram savings associated with the required change in the ratio of in-state to out-of-state students to support women's sports.
2. Place caps on the size of most men's squads (football has already been reduced to 90); encourage modest growth in women's squads without compromising the quality of the experience.
3. Ensure that any reduction in support services necessitated by the required reduction in administrative expenses is consistent with this goal.