Page 153 - Crisis in Higher Education

124 • Crisis in Higher Education

enough revenue from sports activities to cover their costs in 2012.
(The percentage for other divisions is most likely even lower.) Division I
is a combination of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football
Championship Subdivision (FCS). All 23 were members of the Power
Five Conferences, which typically compete in the FBS championship
playoff. Of the 23 “self-sufficient programs,” 16 received some type of
subsidy “relying on institutional and government subsidies as well as
2
student fees to make ends meet.” Athletic department spending by
the 48 universities that were members of the Power Five Conferences
increased from $2.6 billion in 2004 to $4.4 billion in 2014, a jump of
nearly 70%. Many Power Five schools need student fees and school
money to pay their bills. USA Today reported that universities depend
3
on student fees to support athletics as well as subsidies from general
funds. The terms “institutional subsidies,” “school money,” and “gen-
4
eral fund” are typically nice ways of saying that universities use student
fees and tuition dollars to fund sports programs. This tactic can and has
been used to subsidize other money-losing activities.

6.1.1.3 Outreach and Engagement

A third factor, which is even further below the surface, is mission creep—
from an emphasis on research, teaching, and service to a push for research,
teaching, and outreach and engagement. Initially, service involved support-
ing the academy to improve research and teaching, which are primary ele-
ments of a university’s mission. Outreach and engagement expanded service
to include supporting the external community by working to enhance eco-
nomic development and social services. It is a partnership between universi-
ties and communities. The problem as illustrated in Figure 5.4 in Chapter 5
is that universities are not routinely funded for outreach and engagement.
Governments do not usually allocate resources to universities to lead or
even participate in outreach and engagement, and students and their sup-
port groups do not pay tuition for it. Typically, universities do not receive a
meaningful amount of donated money for outreach and engagement, so the
support for these efforts comes from faculty and administrators who should
be working to improve research and instruction. In short, tuition dollars are
spent. There is no pushback from state and local governments because part
of their job is to improve the economy and quality of life. To get the needed
change, students and their support groups must clearly state that universities
should not use tuition dollars for outreach and engagement.