Univ. of Washington athletics in a budget report prepared for this week's Board of Regents meeting "predicted a $14.825 million deficit" for '16, up from $856,000 in '15, according to Stephen Cohen of SEATTLEPI.com. The '16 shortfall -- the "eighth such deficit in the last 25 years -- will be covered by the department's reserves." Rising costs due to NCAA reforms "have driven up annual expenses" by more than $2.7M per year since '13. Those expenses, "combined with the money spent for the maintenance and operation of the department's facilities," the first cost-of-living adjustment since '08 and the hiring of a new football staff in '13, all "contributed to the deficit." A one-time, $7.3M multimedia rights advance from the Pac-12 "helped pad" the '15 budget and "partially explains the drop off this year." UW's revenues "have grown slower than expected due to declining gate revenues, which may be influenced by late start times" and unpredictable schedules. UW also receives "no student fees and the lowest amount of 'combined campus investment' among the Pac-12's public institutions" (SEATTLEPI.com, 6/3). In Seattle, Adam Jude noted UW athletics "is also projecting a budget deficit" for '17 and '19, with an expected surplus in '18. New UW AD Jennifer Cohen said that since she took the interim position in January, much of her time has been spent "working on budget issues." She has "expressed optimism that the Huskies' resurgent football program will lead to sellouts at Husky Stadium and help boost the department's bottom line." Cohen: "The revenue in Husky Stadium is a huge factor here in our ability to find a long-term solution, no doubt about it" (SEATTLE TIMES, 6/4).
