UNLV athletics faces uncertain future in wake of pandemic
These are uncertain times for UNLV athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois and others in similar positions across the country. With the financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, they are being forced to consider unprecedented cutbacks and austerity measures that could severely impact their athletic programs.
There are concerns about what the short- and long-term ramifications could be, depending on how long the coronavirus pandemic lasts.
“We recognize there are so many unknowns,” Reed-Francois said. “A month ago, we never would’ve thought we would be in this situation, and it’s a very fluid one.”
UNLV has suspended all travel and frozen purchasing cards, and because of a directive from the governor’s office, the department implemented a hiring freeze.
As for further spending restraints, Reed-Francois has instructed coaches in each sport to search for ways to cut expenses as long as those reductions don’t negatively affect that team’s ability to compete. Likewise, Reed-Francois wants to make sure recent efforts to improve nutrition, training and counseling aren’t diminished even as she seeks administrative cuts.
Football season in jeopardy?
Reed-Francois at first began to make contingency plans for three dates — May 15 for the end of the spring semester, June 8 for the beginning of the summer term and Aug. 4 for when the fall sports report. She has since added Sept. 1, which is just after the scheduled Aug. 29 opening of UNLV’s football season.
That she has gone that deep into the calendar underscores the concerns about whether the virus will impact the football season. Reed-Francois is optimistic the season will be played in some form, but acknowledged that decision wasn’t in her hands.
“We’ll rely on the health officials’ expertise,” she said. “This is a decision that’s much bigger than one athletic director at UNLV.”
Losing even part of a football season would be potentially devastating for most athletic departments, including at UNLV, which last fiscal year brought in $7.2 million in football revenue. Its men’s basketball program earned $7.4 million. Numbers for the current fiscal year are not yet available.
Just as she is forming contingency plans based on dates, Reed-Francois is doing the same for potential cutbacks. She is looking at what happens if the state reduces its support by 4, 6, 10 or 14 percent. UNLV received $7.9 million in state support this fiscal year.
Likewise could come a reduction of direct university aid, which this fiscal year was $9 million. UNLV also was budgeted to receive $4.8 million from student fees. That, could drop if enrollment numbers fall over concern about the lingering effects of the virus.
Another consideration is the seniors who compete in spring sports who wish to return. The NCAA cleared them to return after spring seasons were canceled, but it’s up to each school whether to bring them back.
Reed-Francois said the hope is to not exceed the current scholarship limits in each sport.
“Anything above the original scholarship allocation, we have a process in place that we’re going to look at in a case-by-case basis being mindful of gender-equity responsibilities,” she said.
Big actions elsewhere
Though UNLV hasn’t made any announcement about substantial financial decisions, including a rcduction in salary for the athletic director and coaching staffs, other schools have been more aggressive. Cincinnati cut its men’s soccer program and Old Dominion dropped wrestling.
Wyoming and Iowa State were the first to announce significant changes. On April 1, Wyoming athletic director Tom Burman announced he was taking a 10 percent pay cut, and Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard went even further, with a one-year pay cut and bonus freeze for coaches and some staff.
Burman said he thought it was important to take a public action because his state’s energy industry is “experiencing historic challenges.”
“I feel as a leader, who is compensated above the average person in the state, I need to lead by example,” Burman said. “We will get through this, but only if we work together and care about our neighbors.”
Pollard said he needed to be aggressive in closing a $5 million gap created by the cancellations of the Big 12 and NCAA basketball tournaments.
“Yes, we can delay some facility projects,” Pollard said. “We can tap into reserves. We can do this or we can do that. But at the end of the day, we felt as an institution, getting out in front of the known costs upfront on the $5 million was critical so that we could move forward productively and not die of 1,000 cuts along the way.”
Other schools and conferences have followed suit, with the Big 12 reducing salaries by 10 percent in its office, Iowa instituting a hiring and spending freeze, and Louisville and Wake Forest announcing a 10 percent pay reduction for its head coaches.
“I’ve been through companies where they’ve gone through economic downturns,” Louisville athletic director Vince Tyra said on a university podcast. “But it was months, and you knew it was going to change. You knew what the outcome was going to be. I don’t know in this situation the return time frame or how far it returns. That’s the thing that really makes you nervous.”
Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.