UConn Sports Cuts Have Roots Before Pandemic, President Says

STORRS, CT — University of Connecticut President Thomas Katsouleas said Tuesday that a budget-trimming decision to drop four intercollegiate sports has roots that took hold long before the coronavirus pandemic created financial consternation in Storrs.

He made the statement in a briefing with the UConn Board of Trustees. The statement was released in conjunction with Wednesday's meeting.

A day earlier, Katsouleas outlined pay cuts of between about 5 and 10 percent for non-union managers to partialy offset a projected $50 million shortfall in revenue related to coronavirus restrictions and shutdowns. See those details here.

"The division of athletics recently completed a thorough and comprehensive review of its
operation and programs, an inquiry initiated long before the COVID-19 crisis began," the briefing said. "For several years, the level of institutional financial support committed to athletics has been growing, and today we can share some difficult decisions that nonetheless should chart
a course towards better financial efficiency at a level of support and sport sponsorship more in line with our peers."

UConn's athletic department was thus directed to reduce its "subsidy from the university" by 25 percent, Katsouleas said. That's a saving of $10 million, he added.

Sports being cut after the 2020-2021 academic year are:

• Men's cross country
• Men's swimming and diving
• Men's tennis
• Womens rowing

"While this is a painful decision, it is in the best interest of the long-term viability of UConn athletics, Katsouleas said.

He continued, "The university recognizes the power of athletics to rally students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and fans across Connecticut and around the world as one community. We are faced with balancing that power with longstanding challenges and widespread uncertainty that have required programs nationwide to become more efficient and focused on areas of strength and opportunity to position student-athletes for success in competition and in the classroom."

Katsouleas did say part of the trend has been driven by the coronavirus pandemic and called the projected $50 million deficit "an unprecedented fiscal crisis for higher education, including the loss of hundreds of millions in NCAA revenue distributions."

He continued, "However, UConn began its self-review of several objective measures as far back as
2018, and our inquiry has always focused on the long-term interest of UConn athletics
rather than just the challenges immediately before us."

Katsouleas said UConn is "committed to supporting" all affected student-athletes and will honor all current athletic scholarships for those who wish to continue working towards a degree at UConn. UConn will also privide "guidance" for student-athletes who want to transfer, he said.

"Moving forward, we are certain that we will be well-positioned to enhance the studentathlete experience, improve competitiveness in more sports, and continue to be a model for gender equity, diversity, and inclusion in intercollegiate athletics. In doing so, we will continue to leverage the success and pride generated by our outstanding Huskies for an even stronger UConn community," Katsouleas said.