University spends five times more on student athletes than it spends on non-athletes
Central Michigan University spends about five times more per athlete than it spends on non-student-athletes.
In 2010, university spending per athlete totaled around $51,000, not including debt service, while spending per student was $10,388, according to CollegeMeasures.org.
The large difference is due to the unique needs of a college athlete such as travel, food and equipment.
“A portion of those types of things might not be necessary for a standard student experience,” CMU Director of Athletics Dave Heeke said. “But, those are required to be able to compete and to be part of an athletic program.”
Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services David Burdette said these unique needs can be compared to students in other programs who require more resources.
“If you carve out a unit on campus, I’m sure you can find a science, technology or a different program that could have those similar high-cost needs,” Burdette said. “From a finance officer’s perspective, I know that prudent approach is in almost every department. This is a fiscally conservative campus, and people watch their dollars, whether they are in biology or athletics.”
However, Sonya Petrakovitz said she believes athletes receiving some resources at no expense is unfair to other students.
“Art students have to pay for their own supplies,” the Cadillac senior said. “They don’t get any benefit from the school because a sheet of paper is $10. And yet, that is what they love to do, so I don’t see a distinction there.”
Nevertheless, CMU had the fourth-lowest subsidy in the Mid-American Conference in 2011, which accounted for 70.7 percent of the athletic program’s revenue, according to USA Today’s athletics department finances database. The percentage ranked fifth in the MAC.
The remaining revenue came from self-generated sources.
“I think it speaks highly of the program,” Heeke said. “The way our program is managed, it is important that we continue to generate revenue to help offset the allocation that is necessary to fund the athletics program.”
Although CMU was slightly below the MAC average in ticket revenues in 2011, it was above average in revenue from scheduling guarantees, corporate sales, contributions and camps.
“The reason why our budget works is we have one of the highest self-generated revenue sources in the conference,” Deputy Director of Athletics Derek van der Merwe said. “Our athletics department is generating a higher portion of our budget than all other MAC schools.”
Heeke has scheduled notable away games the last few years, playing at Michigan State University, Kentucky and North Carolina State University in 2011 and at Iowa in 2012. CMU also played at Virginia Tech in 2010.
“It’s a critical component of our financial model in which we live in to self-generate revenues,” Heeke said. “Equally important, that puts us on a national stage. It exposes not only our athletics program, but our entire university and markets in areas we would not normally receive that kind of attention.”
With women’s golf and lacrosse being added as varsity sports in 2014-15 and 2015-16, respectively, expenses will increase for the athletics department.
As previously reported by Central Michigan Life, adding the new sports will cost the athletics department $964,148 over the next three years.
“There will be costs,” Burdette said. “But those costs, the university will cover.”
Heeke said these are important steps for CMU and the athletics program.
“We’re proud to be a leader in growing and moving forward and continuing to remain in compliance with Title IX,” he said.
