Intercollegiate athletics program charts course into the future

Student News

The UC Santa Cruz intercollegiate athletics program is playing the long game.The NCAA Division III program, which has been under a budget cloud for the past several years, can now confidently look toward the future. The program has been bolstered by a new student fee, was recently restructured so it aligns with other successful Division III programs in the nation, and will head into the coming season with more awareness than ever before.
“This is a historic moment for Banana Slugs,” said Andrea Willer, executive director of OPERS. “Our NCAA program has more support than ever before. People are engaged and eager to watch this program as it begins a new chapter.”
The NCAA program, established in 1980, consists of 15 men and women’s teams, which have about 270 students on the rosters. The average GPA well exceeds the campus average and the program has boasted a 100 percent academic retention rate for the past five years. The teams have gone on to compete in championships and students have received scholar-athlete honors.
Until recently, the intercollegiate program was at a crossroads. Campus leaders asked that the program develop a new way to fund itself so that it was less reliant on core campus funds, which are needed to support the academic mission of the university.
Students in May backed a $38.50-per-quarter fee that will provide the program with a new revenue source and time to better develop other revenue streams.
The approved fee was significantly less than what had been previously proposed—and didn’t gain support. As a result, the intercollegiate athletics program developed a new, sustainable business model that could provide a roadmap forward. The model calls for a structure that is based off other NCAA Division III programs without football and also seeks to grow revenue through other channels.
The fee this year will generate about $1.1 million, just under ...

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