UNLV slashes athletic budget

College athletic departments across the country are eliminating sports and jobs. While UNLV has been able to avoid such measures, the outlook isn’t exactly rosy.

UNLV athletics will receive $1.8 million less from the state for the fiscal year that is about to end and the upcoming fiscal year.

That total includes a $1.1 million reduction for the 2009-10 fiscal year beginning July 1, forcing the department to make changes. Athletic director Mike Hamrick said Tuesday that none of the cuts would affect any team’s ability to compete.

"We’ve still got to run a Division I athletic program, and people still expect us to win and be successful," he said.

UNLV’s current budget is $26 million, with $6.8 million coming from the state.

Each sport’s operating budget will decrease between 10 percent and 12 percent.

The largest itemized department-wide cut was $125,000 from equipment and apparel. UNLV can centralize its purchases because of a deal it signed with Nike last year.

Another $100,000 from chartered flights was slashed. The football team will fly commercially to games at UNR and Texas Christian in Fort Worth.

UNLV no longer will provide walk-ons with primary insurance, saving another $75,000.

The school also will cut $50,000 from cell phones by providing stipends for employees to use their own phones.

In searching for other ways to reduce expenses, UNLV is eliminating complimentary coffee ($5,900), printing 55 percent fewer media guides ($22,861) and scheduling more daytime practices and games to save on the costs of lights and paying staffers overtime ($10,000). Getting rid of pregame media meals will save the school $5,000.

The football team again will make its annual retreat to Ely for training camp. By negotiating better room rates, this year’s Ely trip will cost $228,000 compared with $265,000 last year. Practicing in Las Vegas would have cost about $20,000 more, mostly because of higher rates at valley hotels.

The athletic department also will receive an additional $500,000 to $550,000 from a student fee increase, the first since 1985. UNLV had received $1.9 million from student fees before the increase. Mountain West Conference schools average $4.5 million from student fees.

"If we hadn’t gotten the student fee increase, we probably would’ve had to drop a program," Hamrick said.

Another boost could come from a home football schedule that includes top draws Brigham Young, Utah, Oregon State and Hawaii. Also, the men’s basketball team will host UNR and Louisville.

Hamrick said his three primary goals were to avoid layoffs, not drop any sports and not cut scholarships.

"Those three goals were the things that I thought made us competitive," he said. "I didn’t want to have to get rid of good personnel. I didn’t want to have to drop any programs. And then you start going out and cutting scholarships … that affects the quality of your teams.

"We’ve kept up the quality of our programs, and we’re still taking major cuts."

Other schools haven’t been so fortunate.

UNR might cut two sports.

The University of Cincinnati will stop funding scholarships in men’s track, cross country and swimming, phasing in the cuts over a four-year period.

The University of Washington, facing a $2.8 million shortfall, dropped men’s and women’s swimming to save $1.2 million.

Michigan State cut its budget by 10 percent, and Bowling Green is dealing with a $10 million shortfall.

Stanford cut 21 jobs, and Georgia Tech laid off 13 staff members and won’t fill two vacant positions.

Similar financial decisions are being made elsewhere.

"Everybody is looking around to see what everybody else is doing," Hamrick said.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.