For the 12 universities in the MAC, "paying for the full cost of attendance ... is another sizable expense for athletic departments that already are relying on their universities for at least 70% of their budgets," according to Kevin Kleps of CRAIN'S CLEVELAND BUSINESS. Kent State AD Joel Nielsen said he anticipates the conference's 12 members will enact cost of attendance for the '15-16 school year, but each institution "will make their own decisions on the COA, and what sports they intend to cover." Northern Illinois "already has said it will provide the cost of attendance for all of its athletes." Nielsen said that the remaining MAC universities, including Kent State, "are reviewing their options." For Kent State, which has 18 athletic programs and a budget of $26.2M, "providing a stipend for all 425 of its athletes could cost the university" more than $1M. Akron AD Tom Wistrcill estimated that the measure "would cost the Zips between $600,000 and $700,000 per year." That "would represent an increase of as much as 2.7% for Akron's current athletic budget" of almost $25.4M. Wistrcill: "That's still a very sizable amount." He said of the difference between Power Five schools and midmajors, "There's always been a gap, let's be honest. But it is growing. It's something we all have to account for and discuss as we look toward the future." He added, "We also don't want to overreact now, because 10 years ago, we could have never predicted it would look like what it does now" (CRAINSCLEVELAND.com, 2/8).
ADS SPEAK: UConn AD Warde Manuel on Saturday said that enhanced scholarships "likely to go into effect next school year" will not "be an obstacle to remaining competitive." Manuel: "That's not going to hurt us. I can't speak for everybody. (But) we're focused on finding a way to provide the support to our student athletes. It's all tough. It's money, right? We're behind full support of our student athletes. So we'll continue to look at that and find ways to make sure we have things in place to support our student-athletes. It helps our student-athletes. The long-term impact of these type of changes remain to be seen. But this helps the student-athletes therefore I support it" (NOLA.com, 2/7). Boise State AD Mark Coyle said, "We want to compete at the highest level. If you want to compete at the highest level, you got to be a full cost-of-attendance school." He added of the expenses associated with the stipends, "Obviously, our budgets are strained. You go across the country; everybody is facing some budget difficulties from that standpoint. We will have to be aggressive and creative in our fundraising. … With our new partnership with Albertson’s and with Learfield -- some of those things are going to help offset some of those costs, but again it’s going to fall on us to raise those funds and generate them so we can provide that for all our student athletes" (IDAHOSTATESMAN.com, 2/6).
