From: President Katherine Rowe
Subject: The Recommended Path Forward for William & Mary Athletics
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Dear W&M Student-Athletes and Families, Coaches and Staff, Alumni and Supporters,
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Since early last month, we have been engaged in a community conversation about how to structure William & Mary's Division I Athletics offerings in a way that is equitable, financially sustainable and excellent. I appreciate that this has been an especially painful time for the students involved in the teams cut on September 3rd to endure. During the weeks following the decision, the collective conversation that ensued with you, the coaches, alumni, families and supporters has produced awareness and engagement that will be critical moving forward.
I am grateful to Jeremy Martin for his willingness to step into the interim role as Athletics Director and particularly his work to develop a preliminary path forward for William & Mary Athletics. Linked is Director Martin's Report dated November 4th. His recommendations address the reality that the athletics community needs time to confront together forthrightly: the status quo is unsustainable with respect to finances and mission. Going forward, William & Mary Athletics cannot fulfill its commitment to provide an equitable and excellent environment for learning and competing in Division I, under its prior financial model. This problem will need to be solved over time, and communicated more thoroughly than we have to date. The reality is that significant transformations, coupled with collective goodwill, will be required to solve it.
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Near-term actions for William & Mary Athletics
- Continuance while we more fully explore the scope of programs that can be supported. W&M men's teams slated for suspension will continue as Division I sports through at least 2021-22, pending a gender equity review and the completion of a long-term financial plan as defined below. Without the infusion of a significant amount of new funding, financial pressures on the athletic department that led to the Sept 3rd decision remain and will require a smaller portfolio of sports. The additional time allows for creative solutions and new resources to be identified that could provide alternative paths to financial sustainability.
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- Complete an expedited gender equity review no later than June 30, 2021. The review should explore viable scenarios for reaching full compliance with Title IX during the 2022-23 academic year. The review should also model financial impacts of any scenario presented. William & Mary Athletics will enlist appropriate expertise and assign a principal to lead the effort.
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- Â The department's recommendation on a financially viable gender equity plan and the administration's decision will be announced no later than August 30, 2021, consistent with the settlement agreement.
- Consistent with the university's overall focus on diversity, inclusion and belonging, other dimensions of equity should also be explored by the department: socio-economic opportunity, racial and LGBTQ+ belonging and more. These aspects of our community need greater visibility as we think about equity in the broadest sense.
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- Â Fundraising by all sports. First, the interim fundraising targets established in partnership with the Tribe Club and University Advancement team should be shared with those who have expressed a desire to find alternative solutions. Many have committed to support that effort and we welcome the time and opportunity such additional resources will create.
By February 1, 2021, William & Mary Athletics will publish a two-year fundraising plan, expanding on and finalizing what is laid out in the interim director's Nov. 4 report. The plan should be designed to cover operating costs through AY22-23. After the gender equity review is completed, additional fundraising milestones related to endowments that will ensure longer-term financial sustainability will need to be established by FY26.
Fundraising will build on the work done by the Tribe Club Executive Committee and William & Mary Foundation Athletics Sub-Committee. We will treat this as a mini-campaign and University Advancement staff and I will join wholeheartedly in that effort.
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- William & Mary Athletics will also set program-specific targets for scholarships (which enable opportunity, diversity and competitiveness) and capital investment as well.
- Department leadership will set program financial goals in consultation with University Advancement and coaches. Goals will be shared with all supporters, so they can help realize what is needed to put athletics on stable footing going forward.
- The department will publish reports by June 30, 2021, January 30, 2022, and then annually, showing success or lack thereof in progress towards fundraising goals.
- Director Martin has asked Bobby Dwyer to assist in this effort and he graciously agreed to do so on a volunteer basis.
- With regard to FY26 targets: annual deficits offset by expendable donations have been a feature of the Athletics Department financial model for many years. Like much in higher education now, that business model worked in other times, under more prosperous circumstances and is not sustainable going forward. Hence the urgency of growth in endowments, cost reductions and/or new sources of revenue.
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- Cost reductions. All department heads were asked last summer to prepare a plan to reduce costs for coming years. Based on the information available last summer, the plan prepared by the Athletics Department was premised on sport reductions that subsequent information has shown were not viable. Director Martin will work with department staff (including head coaches as appropriate) to restructure the athletics cost model for FY21-FY22. Beyond that, given that we now understand the department's financial challenges are likely to persist for some time, a sustainable cost structure must be part of any plan proposed for FY23 and beyond.Â
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- Communications. As Athletics makes progress, we will update the community quarterly. Difficult decisions lie ahead for the university and for William & Mary Athletics. While we will work very hard to find creative solutions that minimize sacrifices and losses, we cannot guarantee ideal outcomes. An important lesson learned at a time of so much uncertainty and sadness is that we must significantly improve how we communicate and engage around the challenges William & Mary faces, while hewing to our shared university values.
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William & Mary is committed to the overall success of the Athletics Department. Ultimately, each of the three challenges to be addressed – equity, financial sustainability and Division I excellence – comes down to how William & Mary supports our people. Within the department, no sports program's outcomes are separable from the fate of the whole. Every program is affected by these urgent challenges and must participate in addressing them. Financial viability and compliance for the department as a whole, not just the funding of individual sports, will be the crucial factor in the administration's judgment about viable solutions.
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Moreover, all of our programs and their supporters, athletics included, have responsibilities to the university community as a whole. The solutions found for athletics must consider every student who pays athletic fees and every member of the community who supports the rest of William & Mary through pandemic and beyond. The administration makes decisions in all arenas with these larger obligations and interests in mind. With that in mind, it will be crucial to include a deeper engagement with the different understandings of excellence in athletics as part of the university's strategic planning.
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Thank you for your efforts and your partnership as we move together on the recommended path forward.
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Respectfully,
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– Katherine
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Katherine A. Rowe
President
