Rutgers University President Richard McCormick Turns Down $1.2 Million State Budget Offer to Help Save Six Cut Sports

By Jason Marsteller

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey, June 20. IN another turn of events in the ever-confusing Rutgers University cut-sport saga, University President Richard McCormick refused to accept a $1.2 million state budget earmark designed to preserve the school's athletic programs according to a letter obtained by SwimmingWorldMagazine.com.

So, the university elects to cut six sports (including men's swimming, which is the source of the name of its student recreation center), based on the following quote from Director of Athletics Robert Mulcahy III:

"But this action is absolutely necessary when faced with our financial challenges. The decision to eliminate six of our athletic teams is part of the university-wide effort to cut costs in the wake of the recently adopted state budget, which significantly reduced funding for higher education and left Rutgers with an unprecedented shortfall of approximately $80 million that has resulted in position eliminations, layoffs, and reductions in courses and services offered."

Then, after offering the coaches of the sports impacted the opportunity to find funding to continue their sports the next year, the athletics administration turns down the pledges each sport acquires.

Next, the government gets involved and offers to provide money within the state budget to save the sports (as detailed in this report), but now McCormick is turning down that offer.

Does the administration at Rutgers truly understand the term "looking a gift horse in the mouth?" Are they truly this obstinate in trying to assert their authority that any decision made by the administration should stand as final and that they will not cave in to any attempts to change their minds – even when those attempts are based on reasoned actions to save athletic opportunities for student-athletes?

It is shameful the amount of money that Rutgers has turned down that would allow the athletics administration at least the chance to see how it could work towards incorporating the six sports within its own budget down the road. The total funding offered to McCormick and Mulcahy should allow the teams and the administration at least a chance to work towards a future.

Here is a copy of the letter from the Coalition to Save Our Sports letting people know what they might be able to do about the most recent debacle in the Rutgers case:

"If ever there were a time to speak out and let Governor Corzine, Senate President Codey, Bob Mulcahy, Al Gamper, incoming Board of Governors Chairman Dr. M. William Howard, Jr., incoming Vice-Chair Patricia Nachtigal, and Richard McCormick know how you feel about Rutgers' decision to not only eliminate our teams for specious reasons, but to actually communicate Rutgers' intention to turn down a $1.2 million earmark for them, this is the time. We know that Senate President Codey has not supported reinstatement efforts, and Governor Corzine has yet to take a public stand to support these teams and exercise his power of the pulpit to help bring them back.

We submit that it is unconscionable for Rutgers to have cut these teams based on fallacy, and then to compound this error by turning away not only a $1.2 million earmark from the Legislature, but also some $1 million in pledges to further support these teams (plus $2 million in new Crew endowment pledges), all while Rutgers plans a football stadium expansion estimated to cost $60 to $70 million (if not more) and has announced that it is embarking on a $1 billion capital campaign.

With the pledges and the earmark, the cost to Rutgers of these team over the next few years is virtually zero, yet Rutgers obstinately says "NO!" and provides no justification as to why these teams were cut and refuses to answer questions posed to the BOG in February despite promises at that meeting to provide answers. Clearly there is something terribly wrong with this picture.

This is also the time to thank Senator Smith and Assemblyman Diegnan for their terrific support and leadership – they have spoken out publicly and vigorously in leading the legislative charge, while many others have lacked the backbone to offer anything other than private sympathy or, even worse, the shopworn "party line" coming out of Rutgers.

E-mail addresses:
Senator Bob Smith: SenBSmith@njleg.org
Assemblyman Pat Diegnan: AsmDiegnan@njleg.org
Incoming Board of Governors Chairman Dr. M. William Howard, Jr.: mwhoward@bethany-neewark.org
Incoming Vice-Chair Patricia Nachtigal: patricia_nachtigal@irco.com
President Richard McCormick: president@rutgers.edu
Athletic Director Bob Mulcahy: rmulcahy@scarletknights.com
Senate President Codey: SenCodey@njleg.org
Governor Jon Corzine (see link at http://www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html ) or write to the Governor
at P.O. Box 001, Trenton, NJ 08625)
State Commissioner of Higher Education, Jane Oates: Jane.Oates@che.state.nj.us"

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