Proposition 27-17/18

Proposition: 27-17/18

Title: Memorial in opposition to proposed reallocation of I&G funds from Academics to

Athletics

Date Submitted: 2.27.2018

Sponsor(s): Brown (A&S), Beck (Library), Benson (CoB), Corran (DACC), Hamzeh
(A&S), Josselet (NMSU-Carlsbad), Marin (ACES), Mullen (ENG), Palacios (HSS), Rayson
(A&S), Rosendorf (A&S), Sassenfeld (ENG), Villaverde (NMSU-Alamogordo), and Walker
(NMSU-Alamogordo)

Proposed Committee: N/A; request to be heard as emergency legislation

Assigned Committee: N/A; request to be heard as emergency legislation

Prior Approvals: N/A; this is a memorial

Context of memorial

In the last few months, the NMSU Board of Regents (BoR) has tasked an Athletic Review
Committee to explore ideas by which additional financial resources could be devoted to NMSU
Athletics to sustain the recent success of the NMSU Men’s Basketball and Football Programs. The
result of these discussions is a document (attached) that lays out several ideas by which increased
resources could come to Athletics. Prominent in the ideas shared are 2 proposed actions that the
NMSU Faculty Senate finds highly problematic and ill-conceived:

 Reallocation of $1.1M of I&G funds currently allocated to Academics, to Athletics (this

would be an increase of 25% above and beyond the current reallocation of $4.37M that
Athletics receives from I&G)
 Suggestions to either forgive the existing debt that Athletics owes to the University, or to
restructure the debt to a more extended payment schedule.

Substance of the memorial

By this memorial, the NMSU Faculty Senate voices strong opposition to the permanent
reallocation of I&G funds and the elimination of the above referenced debt for the following
reasons:

 Such a reallocation of funds currently allocated to Academics would harm NMSU’s ability to
meet the core land grant mission of the University:
o to teach the sons and daughters of New Mexico – such a reallocation would amount to
10-15 fewer faculty teaching approximately 50 fewer classes per year that students need
to graduate and that generate much needed revenue. This reduction in I&G funds to

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support teaching comes after large cuts in the last few years, and at a time when we
need additional (not reduced) resources to meet the increased teaching demand that
increasing enrollment of first year students is generating.
o to conduct much needed research - such reduction of faculty lines would impair the
ability to conduct important research that both moves the frontiers of knowledge
forward in the State of New Mexico and beyond, and that also generates much needed
revenue in the form of recovered indirect costs of externally funded research; and
o to perform needed outreach and service to the NMSU community and the many
constituent groups we serve in New Mexico, a critical part of our land grant mission.
 Such a reallocation of funds would also greatly harm the relationship between NMSU and the
State Legislature. The legislators that recently voted to increase general fund expenditures for
NMSU by 2% did so to support the mission of NMSU as detailed above, NOT provide a
mechanism by which additional funds would come to Athletics.
 Linkages between increased funding of sports programs, success of sports teams, and the
success of recruiting efforts for students are not supported by data at NMSU:
o No evidence exists to support the assumption that increased funding of university
sports programs generates winning seasons.
o No evidence exists to support the assumption that winning records of the NMSU
Men’s Basketball and Football Programs has generated increased applications or
enrollments.
 Forgiving or eliminating the current debt that Athletics owes to NMSU adds to reduction of
funds that advance the core mission of NMSU. Restructuring the debt schedule to spread out
payments to allow more funds to be sent on Athletics in the short run seems a reasonable
option to explore, but eliminating or forgiving the debt harms NMSU’s core mission and
sends a very negative message to the above-mentioned legislators and the constituent groups we
serve.
 Athletics has their own access to State funds via dedicated line items in the state budget, and
they also have the tools by which these funds could be increased through various lobbying
efforts. Of note, the recent comments by UNM Regent President Rob Doughty concerning the
possibility of forgiving the debt that UNM athletics owes to UNM, and a willingness of the
NMSU BoR to explore a similar option at NMSU, have been cited as reasons for why the
NMSU Legislature did not support an increase to UNM and NMSU Athletics budgets that
they granted to the comprehensive universities in New Mexico.

Closing comments

Many faculty and other members of the NMSU community laud the accomplishments of the
NMSU Men’s Basketball and Football Programs and their winning records. It is our students that
play in these sports and benefit greatly from the educational opportunities that the scholarships

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and other support mechanisms provide to these students, and we couldn’t be happier about their
success. That said, universities are about educating the leaders of tomorrow, conducting much-
needed and important research, and serving the constituent groups we serve. Reallocating I&G
funds from Academics to Athletics and forgiving the debt detailed above can only seriously harm
our ability to meet our core mission and damage the relationships we have with the Legislature
that funds our important work. While a quality, successful athletic program can serve as means to
improve the branding of the University and potentially attract students, it is the quality of our
academic programs that will add lasting value to the lives and careers of those same students. To
enhance athletics at the expense of academic and outreach programs could have severe negative
consequences to the institution and its core mission. Accordingly, the NMSU Faculty Senate
respectfully, yet resolutely, urges the NMSU BoR to not pursue the proposed actions detailed
above and leave the resources in play where they are and where they belong, advancing the land
grant mission of NMSU.