NACDA Consulting Report TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................... 3 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ........................................................... 8 CONFERENCE BACKGROUND ........................................................... 14 Conference Overviews ...................................................................... 14 Institutional Statistics ....................................................................... 26 Travel ............................................................................................ 30 Sports Participation .......................................................................... 35 Competitiveness .............................................................................. 47 DIVISION I ANALYSIS .................................................................... 51 Why Go Division I ............................................................................ 51 Divisional Philosophies ...................................................................... 53 Division I/Division II Statistics ........................................................... 60 Proposed NCAA-DI Rules .................................................................. 61 Empirical Effects of Division I ............................................................ 68 Case Studies & Impact ..................................................................... 70 Academic Progress Rate ................................................................... 77 DIVISION I TRANSITION ................................................................ 78 Total Athletic Budget ........................................................................ 78 Operating Budget – Current .............................................................. 79 Operating Budget – Division I ............................................................ 83 Scholarships & Equivalencies – Current .............................................. 85 DI Sport-by-Sport Equivalency & Costs ............................................... 87 Division I – Administrative Staffing .................................................... 95 Pro Forma Budget & Timeline ............................................................ 98 Operations .................................................................................... 100 GENDER EQUITY/TITLE IX ............................................................ 104 SOURCES OF REVENUE.................................................................. 108 Overview ...................................................................................... 108 Student Fees ................................................................................. 110 Institutional Support ...................................................................... 113 NCAA/Conference Revenue ............................................................. 117 Corporate Sponsorship ................................................................... 119 5/5/2010 NACDA Consulting Page 1 This document contains proprietary and confidential information. No part of this document may be reproduced or disclosed to a third party without written consent from NACDA Consulting. NACDA Consulting Report Development ................................................................................. 121 Ticket Sales .................................................................................. 123 SUPPORT SYSTEM ANALYSIS ........................................................ 127 QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS/FOCUS GROUPS ................................ 131 APPENDIX: 2009-2010 DI MANUAL REFERENCE SECTIONS .......... 135 20.3 Provisional Membership ........................................................... 135 17.24 Track & Field, Indoor/Outdoor ................................................ 140 15.5 Maximum Institutional Grant-In-Aid Limitations By Sport ............ 145 Facilities ....................................................................................... 153 Acknowledgements ........................................................................ 157 5/5/2010 NACDA Consulting Page 2 This document contains proprietary and confidential information. No part of this document may be reproduced or disclosed to a third party without written consent from NACDA Consulting. NACDA Consulting Report EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Northern Kentucky University (NKU) engaged NACDA Consulting to conduct a feasibility study with regard to its athletic program. NKU, which is currently a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, has 13 sports at the NCAA Division II level. NACDA Consulting was tasked with the following deliverables: Divisional Analysis – Division I and Division II Conference Affiliation and Benchmarking – Division I Starting New Women’s Sport to Accommodate a Move to Division I The institution, which is less than 10 miles from Cincinnati, a top-30 media market, has witnessed rapid growth in the past 30 years. NKU is the commonwealth’s only regional university located in a major metropolitan area. The current enrollment is 15,062 and the institution has set a goal to reach 22,520 by 2020. The institution’s mission to ―support multi-dimensional excellence across the full breadth of its work‖ and embraces its role as a ―regional steward‖ and continually seek to make contributions that increases the vitality of the region and commonwealth. In alignment with the philosophy of Division II, the athletics mission is to provide student-athletes the opportunity to continue their athletics careers as part of their overall collegiate experience and a desire to service the region and commonwealth. However, several of NKU’s enduring goals fit well with Division I, including a desire to be a ―premiere athletic program‖ and a focus on ―expanding fundraising.‖ It is important to note the congruence of the institution’s and athletics’ mission with the philosophy of Division I and that athletics is seen as an important component within the fabric of the institution. From an institutional standpoint, NKU compares favorably to Division I both academically and with regard to enrollment and growth projections. The average Division I institution has 10,790 students compared to 3,701 at Division II and, as referenced, NKU currently has 15,062 students. In order to determine NKU’s readiness and fit for Division I, the first step is to assess NKU’s current athletic program. With an operating budget of $4.23 million, NKU is in the top-18% percentile within Division II, for programs without football. The athletics program has a strong history of success within the GLVC and has won 5-of-the-past-7 Commissioner’s Cups and 6-of-the-past-10 All-Sports Trophies. The opening of the 9,400-seat Bank of Kentucky Center (BOK) in 2008 and the construction of the new soccer facility, provides NKU with some of the finest athletics facilities at both Division II and Division I. With its distinction athletically as one of the top Division II programs with a competitive budget and outstanding facilities, in alignment with the growth and location of the institution, NKU boasts several factors that enhances its ability to transition and succeed at the Division I level. 5/5/2010 NACDA Consulting Page 3 This document contains proprietary and confidential information. No part of this document may be reproduced or disclosed to a third party without written consent from NACDA Consulting. NACDA Consulting Report Currently, there is a moratorium in place until August 2011 for institutions to reclassify to Division I. The Division I Membership Committee has met over the past 12 months and issued a memorandum of Division I Membership Requirements once the moratorium is lifted. The entire text of the memorandum is provided within the report, but the three key requirements are: 1. One-time $900,000 to $1.3 million application fee 2. Secured membership invitation from a Division I conference 3. Minimum financial aid/equivalency requirements, which could be moved from 50% minimum to 75% minimum NACDA Consulting provided benchmarking analysis of four mid-major conferences to determine NKU’s fit as a conference member. The four conferences were the Horizon League, Summit League, Ohio Valley Conference and Atlantic Sun Conference. After an analysis of budgets, conference profiles, travel distances and institutional fit, it was determined that the Horizon League would be the best fit for NKU, if it were to pursue Division I membership. NKU’s enrollment, undergraduate profile, geographic proximity, tuition and location were in alignment with the Horizon League institutions. In order to secure membership, the Horizon League would conduct an institutional assessment with criteria noted in the Conference section and if offered membership, NKU would be required to pay an annual fee of $65,000 for five years. An examination of individual metrics illustrates that NKU would need to add scholarships, staffing, and operating budgets to be competitive at the Division I level and specifically in the Horizon League. NKU currently has 69.20 scholarships for its 13 sports, with 34.67 men’s scholarships and 38.47 women’s scholarships. It is recommended that NKU add 10.53 men’s scholarships and 27.53 women’s scholarships as a Division I institution. Also, NKU will need to add a 14th sport to meet Division I sports requirements, and it is recommended to add women’s track & field. The additional scholarships for adding one of those sports is 10.50. Since the focus