Dear Privateer Nation,
By now, you may have read the NOLA.com article about the University's finances. If not, I have referenced it here for your convenience: NOLA.com article. Specifically, the Department of Athletics has been instructed to cut its 2024-25 budget by 25% due to several consecutive years of declining enrollment, which represents a reduction of over $2 million. We already have one of the smallest budgets within NCAA Division I, so this will be a significant challenge. However, I believe that we have the right people and the right plan to deliver on what we've been tasked to do.
Increasing Demands from the NCAA
In addition to right-sizing the budget, the cost of doing the business of college athletics is growing tremendously. The NCAA has implemented its new Student-Athlete Core Guarantees which mandates athletic departments to provide additional mental health support to student-athletes, post-eligibility insurance, and scholarships that cover up to 10 years post-graduation. When you couple the NCAA Core Guarantees with the recently announced NCAA House Settlement, which provides revenue sharing to student-athletes, the cost of doing business for athletics is increasing annually.
Preparing for the Challenge
In January, I met with President Kathy Johnson, who assumed her new role two months before, to discuss the trajectory of the Athletics budget over the past few years. We also agreed on the need to reduce spending and right-size the budget to better match our current enrollment. Over the past seven months, I have had multiple meetings with head coaches and senior staff members to strategically reduce the budget while trying to mitigate the impact on our student-athletes. Unfortunately, the reductions will affect personnel, operational dollars, travel expenses, and even athletic scholarships.
Intentional Hiring
When looking to hire head coaches, we have intentionally searched for candidates with successful track records from smaller institutions with fewer resources than we have. We have been fortunate to find those gems. Their unique skill set is even more important today than when they were hired. Those past three head coach hires include:
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Head men's basketball coach Stacy Hollowell, a NAIA National Championship winner at Uptown neighbor Loyola University New Orleans.
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Trelanne Powell, head women's basketball coach, was a multiple-time conference champion and a NCAA participant at NCAA Division II Tuskegee University.
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Our newest hire, Ryan Havice, won an NCAA Division III Beach Volleyball Championship, while leading Hendrix College.
Moreover, with the inevitable transition of full-time personnel, we are working with financial aid and career services to find and hire talented students who may have an interest in gaining in real world experience in event management, marketing, social media, compliance, and business operations.
How Can You Help?
For us to minimize the impact of the difficult choices we have had to make; we need you to support our student-athletes and coaches in one or more of the following ways:
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Buying season tickets and donating to the Privateer Scholarship Fund (PSF). The Privateer Scholarship Fund is the foundation for departmental giving. Our university, like most public institutions, charges Athletics for scholarships and that bill is more than $2.5 million annually. Currently, our giving has not kept pace to offset scholarships. Purchasing season tickets and/or making a gift to the Privateer Scholarship Fund is a great way to support our teams by educating student-athletes. You can do that here: Season Tickets and Privateer Scholarship Fund.
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Making a gift to team-specific excellence funds. Team-specific gifts to the Diamond Krewe, the Ace's Club (men's and women's tennis), the Basketball Excellence Fund, or any one of the funds that go to those programs directly is a great way to help our coaches. With operational and travel dollars being reduced, our head coaches need your help to continue to operate at a high level. You can support your favorite team(s) here: Excellence Funds
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Making a gift to the Athletic Director's Discretionary Fund. We need unrestricted gifts. Unrestricted gifts allow me to support the Department in the many ways that go unnoticed. If a sport needs a key piece of equipment, additional travel dollars, or to host key recruits, this fund will allow me to support those opportunities. Operational and travel budgets have been reduced and if their Excellence Funds are depleted, the AD's Discretionary Fund will allow me to provide support to those programs. You can make a gift to that fund here: AD's Discretionary Fund
I have had the pleasure of serving the University of New Orleans for the past five years and I have experienced the resilience of our City and University; it is a real and powerful trait. While this most recent challenge may seem daunting, I have confidence in the people that work here, attend our games, and support Privateer Athletics.
If you have not made a gift to Privateer Athletics, we ask that you consider that now. If you are a current financial supporter, we ask that you consider supporting your Privateers to the highest degree you can.
Thank you for all the support you have previously provided. Your University needs you now more than ever. Together, we will overcome this challenge – #NOLAsTeam, We Are Your Krewe!
With Privateer regards,
Tim Duncan
Vice President of Athletics & Recreation
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