UW athletics a part of budget reductions

The University of Wyoming announced reductions to the university budget for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. Included among those reductions were cuts to the UW athletics department.

The reductions to UW athletics for the 2010 and 2011 fiscal years will be five percent each year (approximately $600,000 per year). The entire budget reduction to the University of Wyoming will be $18.3 million (10 percent) for fiscal year 2010.

“The University of Wyoming Intercollegiate Athletics Department has received its budget reduction, and we will make the necessary adjustments,” Athletics Director Tom Burman said. “We do not take these cuts lightly. We are making operational cuts, as well as a moderate reduction to our work force. We are confident that we will continue to move our program forward.”

Planning for budget adjustments started several months ago, when it was clear projected state revenues were declining.

UW Athletics’ budget reduction plan will include reducing both administrative and sport specific budgets by a total of approximately $600,000. Incorporated in that plan is a reduction in force of four staff positions: eliminating the “W” Club director’s position; combining the athletic training curriculum director position with an assistant athletic trainer position; not filling an assistant strength and conditioning coach position; and not filling an assistant marketing director position.

“The university’s principal mission is education, and research is integrally related to this mission,” UW President Tom Buchanan says. “That said, for many Wyoming residents, intercollegiate athletics provides a key connection to UW.

“I intend for UW to remain a competitive member of the Mountain West Conference. But, like other units at UW, intercollegiate athletics must share the burden of budget reductions. Therefore, along with the hiring squeeze and the support budget reduction (described in the University’s press release issued earlier on Thursday), I have directed that state funding for Intercollegiate Athletics be reduced by five percent in FY 2010 and another five percent in FY 2011.

“It is important to put these reductions in perspective. In the 2008 budget session, lawmakers increased UW’s block grant by $750,000 annually, based on our contention that additional resources were necessary to maintain competitiveness in intercollegiate athletics. The total reduction I’m proposing is substantially greater than the $750,000 per year provided in the 2008 Session. The priorities of our academic enterprise demand that. While many will perceive these cuts as a setback to athletics at UW, nearly 60 percent of UW’s Intercollegiate Athletics budget is funded by revenues generated in that division. I am confident that our intercollegiate athletics program will work hard to generate additional revenue to ensure that our teams remain competitive.”

The University of Wyoming news release on budget reductions can be found at: www.uwyo.edu/president/outbox