Colorado State University Athletics
Team Effort Helps Athletic Department Navigate Pandemic Year
8/6/2021 10:00:00 AM | RamWire
University took steps to protect people in the process
Mike Brohard/RamWire Insider
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The goal from the start was to protect people, which Colorado State's athletic department – and the university as a whole – was able to do throughout a global pandemic.
Being successful in doing so was not without challenges, but created a sense of team and accomplishment as the 2021-22 academic calendar begins with the hope of a bustling campus, full venues and a regular slate of athletic contests on the horizon.
"Every budget year, all the people in our department recognize that a dollar saved is a dollar which can be used perhaps in a more meaningful way," said Director of Athletics Joe Parker, who presented his annual athletics report to the Colorado State Board of Governors on Thursday. "We've always had a great attitude about trying to ratchet spending and not save for the sake of saving, but saving for the sake of putting it in an area which might be more meaningful for our student-athletes. We reached a point where we asked all of our units or sports teams to preapprove any expenditure greater than $200 with our executive staff. All of those things accumulated into some savings. We always want to be great stewards of the resources the university provides to us to operate our athletic program, and I think we achieved that this year."
Among the highlights of the report:
What Colorado State did not have to do was make cuts when it came to its people, a directive which came from President Joyce McConnell. No staff positions were cut, nor were salaries, and furloughs were not enacted. Elsewhere across the nation, news reports of staff and pay reductions and the cutting of sports at some universities became a sobering commonplace.
"From the beginning of the pandemic we knew we had to take care of our own people, our faculty and staff who make CSU so strong. This is a CSU community of faculty and staff driven now more than ever by the conviction that we can, and we must, make our world better," McConnell said. "Staff retention and salary support were top priorities as we planned our FY21 budget in light of the financial impacts of COVID-19. We're extremely grateful to the CSU System Board of Governors for their support in providing funding to protect jobs so our students can continue to receive the education CSU provides."
The ability to beat the estimated deficits of revenue stemmed from multiple areas, including a successful Stalwart Rams Relief Campaign, which raised roughly $2 million. Decisions made by Mountain West leadership to shorten seasons, and in multiple sports, revert to conference-only contests, helped Colorado State combat travel costs. Coaches also cut back on recruiting expenses, and with the limits on competition and practice, money was saved in nutrition services for student-athletes.
Bonuses were eliminated, as was all professional-development travel. There was a focus put on student-athletes to gain credits toward graduation in the fall to help save money which would normally go to summer school. Because of COVID circumstances, game management expenses were curtailed.
While staff reductions were not made, there was a hiring freeze instituted in positions where there was not an immediate need. Colorado State Deputy Director of Athletics Steve Cottingham said the stance has "thawed" somewhat and reinvigorated the thought process when a job is open. The normal protocol, Cottingham said, is to reevaluate each open position to see if it can be reframed or redrawn, and in some cases, is it still needed or would another position create more synergy for the department.
Following the path set by McConnell, the goal was to create the best experience for the student-athletes despite the challenges of the pandemic. Seasons were far from normal, especially without fans cheering in the stands, but the aspects of competition the athletic department could control were kept front and center.
"Part of that is about reframing expectations. In adverse circumstance, you find what really matters and what's nice to have and what you can live without," he said. "There was some of that, and working through that with our student-athletes and some rescinded expectations that 2020 wasn't going to be the same. We tried to do that, and we did some of those things so we could protect people."
Understandably, Cottingham was front and center for multiple hard conversations, where budget restraints were being implemented and every team and department in athletics were asked find savings from a normal year. What he and Parker found was a real willingness from all parties to do their part, understanding it affected the budget across the board.
What Cottingham has always been drawn to at Colorado State is culture he calls, "blue collar, lunch bucket, dairy farmer, go-up-and-go-to-work mindset." What they found a group of leaders who rolled up their sleeves with a very team-first approach. Instead of worrying just about their squad, Parker and Cottingham appreciated the dedication to the entirety of the athletics community.
"Very much so. Our biggest budgets are associated with the sports which generate revenue, be they the three arena sports or football played at Canvas Stadium," Parker said. "For them to recognize anything they could do, because a lot of what they do is where a lot of the dollars are spent, that gave us the ability to create a comprehensive experience for everyone. Make no mistake, everyone had to tighten their belt, everyone had to adjust, and our goal from the very beginning was to try to get through this, get to the other side and we were able to make that happen. So much of what we do is related to the talented people we have, be they student-athletes or staff members, so it was important to preserve that, and we were successful at doing that."
The unfortunate truth is Colorado State's athletic department is far from having to concern itself with the pandemic and even the ripple effects from a very trying year. The lessons learned since the start of the pandemic will continue to serve them well moving forward.
"I think it's' going to be a permanent reset. I think it caused people across the country to think about what's really important for the student-athlete experience," Cottingham said. "What are the nice-to-haves, the must-haves. A lot of people experienced that in their personal lives in the last year. I think you'll see that permanently. There's no doubt there some excess last year in college athletics, and events like last year are an opportunity to look at that with fresh eyes.
"We always say we squeeze the money we spend not to save money – we don't try to save $3 million to pat ourselves on the back and say we saved it. We try to save money so we can spend it where it matters the most for student-athletes and programs."
Being successful in doing so was not without challenges, but created a sense of team and accomplishment as the 2021-22 academic calendar begins with the hope of a bustling campus, full venues and a regular slate of athletic contests on the horizon.
"Every budget year, all the people in our department recognize that a dollar saved is a dollar which can be used perhaps in a more meaningful way," said Director of Athletics Joe Parker, who presented his annual athletics report to the Colorado State Board of Governors on Thursday. "We've always had a great attitude about trying to ratchet spending and not save for the sake of saving, but saving for the sake of putting it in an area which might be more meaningful for our student-athletes. We reached a point where we asked all of our units or sports teams to preapprove any expenditure greater than $200 with our executive staff. All of those things accumulated into some savings. We always want to be great stewards of the resources the university provides to us to operate our athletic program, and I think we achieved that this year."
Among the highlights of the report:
- Academically, CSU athletes ranked first in the Mountain West in Federal Graduation Rate (77 percent), and for the third consecutive semester, outperformed the general student population in GPA (3.22-3.14). In the 2019-20 academic calendar, six teams posted perfect Academic Performance Rates. Fall of 2020 represented a record GPA for CSU student-athletes (3.312) and the second best cumulative GPA (3.171).
- Continuing a trend under Parker, the athletic department accepted less than what the university budgeted in one-time funds. The university offered $7,865,622 million, with the athletic department accepting $4.442,609 allowing the university to keep $3,423,013 for other campus expenditures.
- Even still, an estimated loss of $18 million in revenue was limited to $16 million, with the absence of fans attending contests.
- Worked with the Mountain West to install COVID testing policies which extended beyond NCAA guidelines. In coordination with UCHealth and Quest Diagnostics, conducted more than 11 thousand surveillance/pre-competition tests.
- Launched the Together Initiative to create discussion within the department about social issues facing the nation.
What Colorado State did not have to do was make cuts when it came to its people, a directive which came from President Joyce McConnell. No staff positions were cut, nor were salaries, and furloughs were not enacted. Elsewhere across the nation, news reports of staff and pay reductions and the cutting of sports at some universities became a sobering commonplace.
"From the beginning of the pandemic we knew we had to take care of our own people, our faculty and staff who make CSU so strong. This is a CSU community of faculty and staff driven now more than ever by the conviction that we can, and we must, make our world better," McConnell said. "Staff retention and salary support were top priorities as we planned our FY21 budget in light of the financial impacts of COVID-19. We're extremely grateful to the CSU System Board of Governors for their support in providing funding to protect jobs so our students can continue to receive the education CSU provides."
The ability to beat the estimated deficits of revenue stemmed from multiple areas, including a successful Stalwart Rams Relief Campaign, which raised roughly $2 million. Decisions made by Mountain West leadership to shorten seasons, and in multiple sports, revert to conference-only contests, helped Colorado State combat travel costs. Coaches also cut back on recruiting expenses, and with the limits on competition and practice, money was saved in nutrition services for student-athletes.
Bonuses were eliminated, as was all professional-development travel. There was a focus put on student-athletes to gain credits toward graduation in the fall to help save money which would normally go to summer school. Because of COVID circumstances, game management expenses were curtailed.
While staff reductions were not made, there was a hiring freeze instituted in positions where there was not an immediate need. Colorado State Deputy Director of Athletics Steve Cottingham said the stance has "thawed" somewhat and reinvigorated the thought process when a job is open. The normal protocol, Cottingham said, is to reevaluate each open position to see if it can be reframed or redrawn, and in some cases, is it still needed or would another position create more synergy for the department.
Following the path set by McConnell, the goal was to create the best experience for the student-athletes despite the challenges of the pandemic. Seasons were far from normal, especially without fans cheering in the stands, but the aspects of competition the athletic department could control were kept front and center.
"Part of that is about reframing expectations. In adverse circumstance, you find what really matters and what's nice to have and what you can live without," he said. "There was some of that, and working through that with our student-athletes and some rescinded expectations that 2020 wasn't going to be the same. We tried to do that, and we did some of those things so we could protect people."
Understandably, Cottingham was front and center for multiple hard conversations, where budget restraints were being implemented and every team and department in athletics were asked find savings from a normal year. What he and Parker found was a real willingness from all parties to do their part, understanding it affected the budget across the board.
What Cottingham has always been drawn to at Colorado State is culture he calls, "blue collar, lunch bucket, dairy farmer, go-up-and-go-to-work mindset." What they found a group of leaders who rolled up their sleeves with a very team-first approach. Instead of worrying just about their squad, Parker and Cottingham appreciated the dedication to the entirety of the athletics community.
"Very much so. Our biggest budgets are associated with the sports which generate revenue, be they the three arena sports or football played at Canvas Stadium," Parker said. "For them to recognize anything they could do, because a lot of what they do is where a lot of the dollars are spent, that gave us the ability to create a comprehensive experience for everyone. Make no mistake, everyone had to tighten their belt, everyone had to adjust, and our goal from the very beginning was to try to get through this, get to the other side and we were able to make that happen. So much of what we do is related to the talented people we have, be they student-athletes or staff members, so it was important to preserve that, and we were successful at doing that."
The unfortunate truth is Colorado State's athletic department is far from having to concern itself with the pandemic and even the ripple effects from a very trying year. The lessons learned since the start of the pandemic will continue to serve them well moving forward.
"I think it's' going to be a permanent reset. I think it caused people across the country to think about what's really important for the student-athlete experience," Cottingham said. "What are the nice-to-haves, the must-haves. A lot of people experienced that in their personal lives in the last year. I think you'll see that permanently. There's no doubt there some excess last year in college athletics, and events like last year are an opportunity to look at that with fresh eyes.
"We always say we squeeze the money we spend not to save money – we don't try to save $3 million to pat ourselves on the back and say we saved it. We try to save money so we can spend it where it matters the most for student-athletes and programs."
Mike Brohard
RamWire Insider
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