MU Budget Cuts

[bluebodega]

Several Marquette Women's Soccer commits have taken to social media this week to say that due to budget cuts, Marquette is not honoring their Athletic, and, Academic scholarships for those players.

Here are some examples:

https://x.com/jaelyn_gardner2/status/1963674341301768254?s=46

https://x.com/hannah_werdel22/status/1963295826161414171?s=46

https://x.com/mckenna_wickman/status/1963313731347066921?s=46

[Hards Alumni]

This seems bad.

[cheebs09]

Are we about to get another email about the financial difficulty of the new world of college sports and encourage us to donate?

[wadesworld]

Tom Crean will save us.

[The Sultan]

The $20.5 million in direct payments to (mostly) mens basketball players has to come from somewhere.

[Jay Bee]

The $20.5 million in direct payments to (mostly) mens basketball players has to come from somewhere.

Yeah, that ain't happening

[Hards Alumni]

The $20.5 million in direct payments to (mostly) mens basketball players has to come from somewhere.

Don't forget to set the hook.

[Billy Hoyle]

The $20.5 million in direct payments to (mostly) mens basketball players has to come from somewhere.

there's no way MU is getting to the $20.5 million number. There are a number of Power 4 schools that are having trouble getting there. Yes, MBB will be taken care of, but at what cost (literally and figuratively) to the rest of our student-athletes and teams?

[Shaka Shart]

there's no way MU is getting to the $20.5 million number. There are a number of Power 4 schools that are having trouble getting there. Yes, MBB will be taken care of, but at what cost (literally and figuratively) to the rest of our student-athletes and teams?

They should eliminate the Marquette DEI dept. that should pay easy for 50% of tuition costs

[MU82]

They should eliminate the Marquette DEI dept. that should pay easy for 50% of tuition costs

They should eliminate the Marquette DEI dept. that should pay easy for 50% of tuition costs

Not just the department, but every DEI hire. Sorry, Shaka, but you gotta be the first to go for the good of the university. Need more merit hires; maybe Pete Hegseth and Linda McMahon would agree to become co-coaches.

[Shaka Shart]

I think Muggsy should coach every team

[The Sultan]

I think Muggsy should coach every team

DEI includes midgets

[Shaka Shart]

DEI includes midgets

I call it my 5 foot plan

[forgetful]

there's no way MU is getting to the $20.5 million number. There are a number of Power 4 schools that are having trouble getting there. Yes, MBB will be taken care of, but at what cost (literally and figuratively) to the rest of our student-athletes and teams?

And a lot of them are also redirecting donors who have focused on academic scholarships and education to specifically focus on athletics, leading to situations like those described here where there are gaps in academic scholarships.

Make no mistake, these efforts to pay athletes directly are significantly negatively impacting education/academics.

[The Sultan]

And a lot of them are also redirecting donors who have focused on academic scholarships and education to specifically focus on athletics, leading to situations like those described here where there are gaps in academic scholarships.

Make no mistake, these efforts to pay athletes directly are significantly negatively impacting education/academics.

Where have you heard this?  What is "a lot of them?"  And what exactly does "redirecting" donors mean?

[Scoop Snoop]

I think Muggsy should coach every team

Same template for every team: "Attack attack attack! Go full medieval! Step on their throats! Eviscerate them! Introduce them to darkness!

[forgetful]

Where have you heard this?  What is "a lot of them?"  And what exactly does "redirecting" donors mean?

Donors who have traditionally given to educational goals/scholarships, being told that while they appreciate that history, they really need their help on athletics right now instead.

Does this surprise you? There is a limited amount of donor money to divide across all university goals. Needing a new annual funding stream of $20.5M per year, has to come at the expense of something.

[Billy Hoyle]

And a lot of them are also redirecting donors who have focused on academic scholarships and education to specifically focus on athletics, leading to situations like those described here where there are gaps in academic scholarships.

Make no mistake, these efforts to pay athletes directly are significantly negatively impacting education/academics.

I'd like to see some stats on that. Many donors to academic programs do not donate to athletics, and vice versa.

I've also heard this is an athletic department decision, not an issue of a lack of funding for academic scholarships.

[The Sultan]

Donors who have traditionally given to educational goals/scholarships, being told that while they appreciate that history, they really need their help on athletics right now instead.

Does this surprise you? There is a limited amount of donor money to divide across all university goals. Needing a new annual funding stream of $20.5M per year, has to come at the expense of something.

In my experience, including at D1 institutions, that rarely happens. First, it's very rare that a donor is going to switch support for an academic program to support athletics (or something else at the school) unless they have that interest already. Are there donors who support both? Undoubtedly. But most schools are going to maximize whatever they can get from donors, and then re-allocate institutional budget dollars on the back end.

But yes, it will have to come at the expense of something, and it looks like that "something" is going to be women's soccer scholarships. So Marquette is likely going to provide less for some sports, and have the coaches spread it out more. This will result in a lower level of student athlete, and a less competitive program.

So instead of a top 100 recruit that is receiving a .75 athletic scholarship and a .25 academic scholarship, they'll recruit a top 200 athlete, provide the same .25 academic scholarship, but only a .50 athletic scholarship.  Now they have .25 to spend elsewhere.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Must be MU women's soccer week.
My friend who works for University Hospitals in Cleveland sent me a screen shot this week from his company LinkedIn profile introducing Ceci Favret, a Marquette University women's soccer player.  Apparently the hospital helped return her to health after an injury.  I asked him if she was getting NIL $ from this?

[dgies9156]

Donors who have traditionally given to educational goals/scholarships, being told that while they appreciate that history, they really need their help on athletics right now instead.

Does this surprise you? There is a limited amount of donor money to divide across all university goals. Needing a new annual funding stream of $20.5M per year, has to come at the expense of something.

This aint the first time this has happened, if it is happening!

When the Alumni Memorial Union was planned and the university needed funding, I received a call from a young lady who asked me to consider re-targeting my contribution to the AMU. I respectfully asked her if she was on scholarship and, if so, where she thought the money for that scholarship came from? To say the least, she was stunned.

We didn't retarget our contribution and I won't now. As much as I love Marquette basketball -- and trust me, I'm as fanatical about it as anyone in here -- Marquette is first and foremost a conduit to leadership in society through education. I don't even want to guess where I would have been in life without my Marquette education and it's up to us to push forward Marquette's benefits to subsequent generations.

Marquette Basketball is a wonderful part of life, but not at the expense of future generations.

[The Sultan]

This aint the first time this has happened, if it is happening!

When the Alumni Memorial Union was planned and the university needed funding, I received a call from a young lady who asked me to consider re-targeting my contribution to the AMU. I respectfully asked her if she was on scholarship and, if so, where she thought the money for that scholarship came from? To say the least, she was stunned.

Not all scholarships are donor funded. I wouldn't be surprised if less than half of them are.

[MUBurrow]

In my experience, including at D1 institutions, that rarely happens. First, it's very rare that a donor is going to switch support for an academic program to support athletics (or something else at the school) unless they have that interest already. Are there donors who support both? Undoubtedly. But most schools are going to maximize whatever they can get from donors, and then re-allocate institutional budget dollars on the back end.

But yes, it will have to come at the expense of something, and it looks like that "something" is going to be women's soccer scholarships. So Marquette is likely going to provide less for some sports, and have the coaches spread it out more. This will result in a lower level of student athlete, and a less competitive program.

So instead of a top 100 recruit that is receiving a .75 athletic scholarship and a .25 academic scholarship, they'll recruit a top 200 athlete, provide the same .25 academic scholarship, but only a .50 athletic scholarship.  Now they have .25 to spend elsewhere.

Thanks Sultan, this makes sense, and I don't think most alums have a problem with that institutional decisionmaking. But pulling the offers of 2026 commits? How in the hell does that happen?

[The Sultan]

Thanks Sultan, this makes sense, and I don't think most alums have a problem with that institutional decisionmaking. But pulling the offers of 2026 commits? How in the hell does that happen?

Not to be pedantic, but I think they didn't pull the offers as much as reduce the amount they are giving them.

Looking back, they committed to Marquette back in the Fall of 2024. At the time, the House settlement was out there but not finalized. And my guess is that the donor $$$ didn't materialize the way they wanted. And I mentioned earlier that they fell short of their enrollment goals this year. Not by a lot, but still.

I thought Broeker's email plea about donations had the tone of "holy crap we need more money," than anything. And that's not a good place to raise money from.

[Billy Hoyle]

Not to be pedantic, but I think they didn't pull the offers as much as reduce the amount they are giving them.

Looking back, they committed to Marquette back in the Fall of 2024. At the time, the House settlement was out there but not finalized. And my guess is that the donor $$$ didn't materialize the way they wanted. And I mentioned earlier that they fell short of their enrollment goals this year. Not by a lot, but still.

I thought Broeker's email plea about donations had the tone of "holy crap we need more money," than anything. And that's not a good place to raise money from.

This is a major PR mistake on the part of MU. Any PSA who has committed should have their offer honored as it was made to them. Other coaches will use this in recruiting.

With over 1,900 freshmen enrolling, I'm sure MU has met its enrollment goals, and more students are living on campus than in previous years, which is another revenue generator.