University of West Florida Feasibility Study York College Of
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By Alek Godlew, Corrie Shaw, Kevin Snyder, Joe Petrillo University of West Florida Feasibility Study York College of Pennsylvania 2 Table of Contents Executive Summary 4-6 UWF Athletic mission: UWF Athletic success: UWF Facility upgrades: Sources of revenue 6-19 Student Fees Donations NCAA/Conference Revenue Game Guarantees Sport Sponsorship Corporate Sponsors Ticket Sales Background Information 19-20 College Location Pensacola Economic Information 20-27 Foundation and History of UWF 27-32 Mission/Vision/Values 32-34 UWF Mission Vision Values UWF Athletics Mission Vision Values 3 Future Athletic Department Goals 34-35 Facility Renovations 35-36 Conference Background 36-39 Research 39-46 SWOT Analysis Location Financing UWF Athletics 46-51 DI Capable? Change in adding Football/ changing conference Spending Athletic Budget: Scholarship requirements Complications with Atlantic Sun Tickets General Concerns Naming Rights and added funding: Reasons for Adding Football and staying DII References 51-54 4 Executive Summary The University of West Florida (UWF) has engaged with Excelsior Feasibility Inc. to conduct a feasibility study on their organization to determine if it would be feasible for the University of West Florida to make the move from Division II up to Division I, not only in the athletics, this move more would also have an impact on academics. UWF is located in the northwest section of Florida in the historic city of Pensacola, Florida. The motto of the university is that they are “different by design.” The university has received recognition from numerous sources: Forbes Magazine classified UWF as being one of America’s Top Colleges and The Princeton Review also regarded UWF as one of the best colleges in the Southeast. UWF main campus is located just minutes away from historic downtown Pensacola and some of the world's best beaches. New facilities and housing options are transforming the UWF campus, offering countless involvement opportunities and marking it “different by design”. Recent additions include the College of Business Education Center, Health and Wellness Center, as well as residence halls. UWF athletics has been participating in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) since 1994- 1995. Within the Gulf South Conference, the University of West Florida has experienced extraordinary success: 7 National Championships 282 All-Americans 71 GSC Championships (most all-time in GSC history) 11 GSC women’s all-sport trophies 5 GSC men’s all-sport trophies 5 The University of West Florida’s athletic program has performed well within the Gulf South Conference and they always appear to be near the top of the conference athletically. With the success that UWF has achieved athletically within the Gulf South Conference, they have decided to add a football program that will begin its first season in the fall of 2016. The University of West Florida has achieved a huge amount of success within the Gulf South Conference. In 2017, UWF will experience its 50th anniversary as an organization and at this time it wants to realize its full potential. This a major reason as to why they partnered with Excelsior Feasibility to figure if their athletic program could make the move to Division I and build upon their success in Division II. UWF Athletic mission of: Intercollegiate athletic programs at the University of West Florida offer student-athletes the opportunity to compete at the championship level and continue their personal development by actively engaging the community and providing appropriate resources for academic success. UWF Athletic success: Provide opportunities for student-athletes and teams to compete at the highest levels on a conference, regional, and national stage. UWF Facility upgrades: Provide state-of-the-art, NCAA DI caliber athletic venues for practice and competition for all intercollegiate sports at UWF. UWF moving to Division I will satisfy their mission statements of the athletic program. The university prides itself on providing DI state-of- the-art facilities. The university has been providing high-quality facilities for its students 6 which would align well with programs currently in DI. In the past few years, UWF has built and opened new buildings on campus as they are expanding as a university: 2010 o School of Science and Engineering Building . $30.6 million state-funded 2011 o Heritage Hall Residence Hall 2012 o College of Business Expansion o President’s Hall Moving the athletic program from Division II to Division I is important to the university. Currently, the closest Division I program to Pensacola, Florida is the University of South Alabama which is a driving distance of 1 hour 14 minutes. However, the closest Division I program in the state of Florida is the University of Florida which is a driving distance of 4 hours 45 minutes. If UWF would make the move to Division I, it would be the only DI institution in the western portion of Florida. This would impact the community of Pensacola and it would ultimately allow for the university to expand and take hold of this section of Florida as there is no other Division I institution for at least an hour in all directions around Pensacola, Florida. Ultimately, UWF moving from Division II to Division I is a good move for the university as this will allow for the school to improve and expand as a university. By associating with other DI programs and being affiliated with a DI conference this will allow UWF to receive the recognition as a school that they are trying to achieve as this move will satisfy the wants/needs 7 that the program is wanting to accomplish moving forward. The athletic department of UWF is growing and especially with the addition of the football program in the fall of 2016. The move to Division I will benefit the university as it will lead to enhancing student life; which is a main goal of UWF. Becoming affiliated with Division I will hopefully increase the university’s exposure and raise their national profile, grow alumni support, expand sponsorship opportunities, increase school spirit, and attract more students from across the United States. SOURCES OF REVENUE Overview The University of Florida was showing an increase in revenue from the start of 2001- 2008. In 2008, UWF’s revenue took a hit due to the economic crisis. Due to this economic crisis that impacted the United States in 2008, state-funding for UWF has been reduced. The University of Florida is now receiving money from the federal government; however, the money being received is still lower than what was being received prior to 2008. 8 UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA A COMPONENT UNIT OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA STATEMENT OF REVENUES For the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2012 9 When comparing the revenue that each sport for both the male and female teams, the team that brings in the most revenue is the men’s baseball team at $471,683. However, the overall sport that brings in the most revenue is that of basketball; which brings in $430,703 for the men’s team and $406,719 for the women’s team. The sport with the highest operating expense per participant is Golf; which costs $5,139 per participant for both the men’s and women’s teams. 10 Student Fees When comparing the Gulf South Conference, in terms of how much it costs for a student to attend the institution, The University of West Florida is the 4th cheapest to attend when comparing the total expenses to live on campus as an in-state student ($19,456). For the Gulf South Conference as a whole, the total average amount it costs to attend an institution in the GSC is $22,179. The University of Florida falls below this average total cost to live on campus as it is $2,723 cheaper than the average cost of a school in the GSC. Even though UWF has the 4th lowest total expenses to live on campus, UWF has the 2nd highest cost of room & board ($8,418). 11 12 For the 2011-2012 fiscal year, the total operating revenues were $71.4 million, of this amount; $67.5 million was from gross student tuition and fees. Net tuition and fees for 2011-2012 reached $49.6 million, which was an increase of $10.1 million (25.6%) from the previous year in 2010-2011. This increase was brought on because of an increase in student enrollment, higher tuition, and higher fee rates for the students. Donations 13 Even with the increase that UWF received in donations going from 2010-2011 to 2011- 2012, UWF still wants this number to increase moving forward. Institutions and Universities always need more money donated to the school and that is especially true when trying to implement a football program and moving to Division I, also. UWF is hoping that by installing a football program in 2016, this will increase the amount of donations that it receives from alumni. By having a football program, this will allow for current alumni to give back to the school. Also, by installing a football program, this will make UWF a place that future students would choose to attend and then they will ultimately donate to the institution once they are alumni as well. Currently, UWF is going to rent Maritime Park to play their home games to avoid the high-cost of building their own football stadium. UWF is hoping that donations will keep increasing as a means to help fund this new football stadium along with UWF’s Master Plan. NCAA/Conference Revenue When comparing the University of West Florida’s revenue with the other institutions in the Gulf South Conference for the year 2011, UWF compares rather favorably.