The Univ. of New Mexico is "proposing the elimination of multiple sports and other cost reductions to balance future athletics department budgets" and to pay down $4.7M of the department's 10-year "deficit accumulated through last year," according to a front-page piece by Grammer & Dyer of the ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL. UNM athletics announced yesterday that it "expects to overspend this fiscal year's budget" by a projected $2.1M, which is less than the $3.3M it had projected just two weeks ago. The proposal also anticipates another $2.3M deficit for FY '19, which will "require additional subsidies." The proposal is "expected to save" $1.9M annually through cutting sports." UNM AD Eddie Nuñez said that no decision "has been made on which sports will be cut." UNM currently sponsors 22 varsity sports. Grammer & Dyer note the UNM regents "want to explore" taking Dreamstyle Arena renovation debt "off the athletics department books, noting other departments on campus aren't responsible for paying for their own facility upgrades as they are usually covered by the university at large." UNM "refinanced the debt" in '16, so that it is $2.4M per year (ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL, 4/11).
