USD Reconsidering?

[Bisonguy]

This was posted by CoyoteFan on the D2football board:
LINK
President James Abbott Appoints Committee to do Comprehensive Review of University of South Dakota Athletics

4/2/2003




VERMILLION, S.D. -- President James W. Abbott has announced today that an Athletics Review Committee will conduct a comprehensive review of all athletic programs at The University of South Dakota.

The committee, to be chaired by USD alumna Julie Ehret Greenfield, vice president and trust officer of First American Bank and Trust in Sioux Falls, S.D., includes current athletic staff, student athletes, alumni and members of the regional business community.

Members of the committee affiliated with the U include athletics faculty representative and business school professor Jack Powell; head track and field coach Dave Gottsleben, head softball coach Kim Zarling, as well as students Bill Gassen of Rapid City, S.D., and James Stapleton of South Sioux City, Neb.

Committee members from the business community include Cathleen Tobin, vice president and managing director of Dain Rauscher, Edina, MN; Jim Ahrendt, president of First Dakota Bank, Yankton, S.D.; and Kelby Krabbenhoft, chief executive officer of Sioux Valley Hospital & Health System in Sioux Falls, S.D.

"I'm confident that this knowledgeable committee will help the University think through the best course of action for our sports programs as we continue the strong tradition of Coyote Athletics," said President Abbott. "I'll be looking forward to receiving their recommendations."

According to President Abbott, the committee will review and submit a recommendation about the long-term programmatic and financial plan for athletics. Specifically, the committee will do the following:

~ Examine other NCAA Division II and Division I-AA athletic programs with the objective of comparing national and regional trends in varsity, club and recreational sports as well as finances and scholarships.

~Review and recommend possible changes to the U's athletic programs, based on recent developments in the North Central Conference.

~Recommend a long-term programmatic and financial plan that ensures a broad offering of competitive varsity, club and recreational sports programs that meet student demand. In addition, the committee will assess and make recommendations about fundraising strategies that will assist the University in meeting future resource needs.

South Dakota Athletics includes 18 programs, including 10 women’s (volleyball, softball, basketball, indoor track, outdoor track, cross country swimming and diving, golf, tennis and soccer) and eight men’s sports (football, basketball, baseball, cross country, indoor track, outdoor track, swimming and diving and golf).

About The University of South Dakota
Founded in 1862, The University of South Dakota is designated as the only public liberal arts university in the state and is home to a large College of Arts and Sciences, a School of Education and the state’s only Law School, Medical School, accredited Business School and College of Fine Arts. It has an enrollment of approximately 8,700 students taught by 400 faculty members. More information is available at www.usd.edu/urelations/news.

For more information, contact Michelle Lavallee, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, (605) 677-6116

If the Coyotes jump, this could spell trouble to the NCC.

[Charger]

That's a big surprise. Especially after the U said they were going to focus on academics and become the "ivy school of the plains" (what a joke). I like the tradition they have with SDSU so I guess it would be good to keep that rivalry. If they moved up I would expect UND to follow suit. I don't think USD will be as competitive as NDSU or SDSU because of their smaller athletic budget and lack of facilities (since the entire athletic program is in one building).

[tony]

I didn't want to say it on the DII board, but if USD goes DI, I could seem them going the Pioneer Football conference route and having football be non-scholarship. That's probably cheaper than being in the NCC. A DI NCC is still a possibility (5% chance) but if there's a scholarship limit, NDSU isn't going to be playing football in it.

In any event, it'd sure help NDSU's basketball schedule to have USD move up - a DI provisional school can only play TWO basketball games against non-DI opponents.

[SDSUFAN]

It certainly would be fun to be a fly on the wall of adminstrative offices in both Grand Forks and Vermillion.

I am wondering and speculating that UND has done something behind the scenes that indicates a serious reconsideration of D1. Something like that plus SDSU continuing to be serious about its move would have no doubt stirred the conscience of Jim Abbott, USD president.

Jim is a good guy and a sucessful business man before becoming president. Seeing the business possibilities of D1 are not difficult for him.

I think Abbotts unsucessful run for Governor of South Dakota kind of kept any consideration of D1 in check. Now that this political run is behind him, he can do what has been announced.

Its really interesting that during the campaign he was very silent about SDSU going D1. There are Democrats in Brookings and else where in the state who are SDSU Alums and it would have been very inappropriate to comment on this issue. He had problems enough with other issues.

On the Saturday before election, a reporter for the USD studnet newspaper interviewed Abbott at the USD-SDSU game about Fred Oien's imfamous comment about there no longer being a rivilries amongst the SD schools. Abbott *said that Oien was misquoted and in a way defended Oien. Oien of course was trying to *make the point that the most of SDSU ticket sales have been purchased by home fans and that the USD and Augie fans do not tip the scales in terms of ticket sales.

Another class thing about Abbott is he was at the North Central Regional Championship Women BB game wearing red and sitting with the students so they would not throw carrots on the floor. He wanted USD to win with class.
In my opinion Abbott is a class guy.

Hopefully they can get guys like Al Neuharth founder of USA Today who has millions if not billions, Tom Brokaw and Pat O Brien all USD alums interested and involved in raising funds. No doubt that is on the agenda.

[Bisonguy]

Here's The Forum's take on the issue:

Notice Roger Thomas and his ho-hum attitude-

Coyotes to discuss changes
By Jeff Kolpack
jkolpack@forumcomm.com
The Forum - 04/04/2003
Just several months after saying it is in NCAA Division II to stay, the University of South Dakota will review the future of its athletic program.

That doesn’t mean the school will look at Division I, USD athletic director Kelly Higgins said Thursday. But it is certain to spur that discussion again. Plus, it could open the door for the school to add hockey.

“That’s always a possibility,” Higgins said Thursday.

Higgins was asked about the prospect of the school adding hockey and playing in nearby Sioux Falls.

“That would be interesting, wouldn’t it?” he said. “I think that would be kind of neat.”

USD, South Dakota State, North Dakota State and Northern Colorado were four North Central Conference schools most active in the Division I talk last year. USD dropped out when the school issued a statement saying it was going to focus on Division II.

That was when school president Jim Abbott took a leave of absence and was running for governor. Abbott, who is considered a Division I proponent although not necessarily for USD, returned to the school after losing the election. Abbott said an Athletics Review Committee will conduct “a comprehensive review of all athletic programs.”

One of the committee’s tasks is to “examine other NCAA Division II and Division I-AA athletic programs with the objective of comparing national and regional trends in varsity ... sports as well as finances and scholarships.”

Higgins said that is simply to make a comparison to schools like NDSU, UNC and SDSU.

“In our market, we have to compare to them,” he said.

But, again, he said that doesn’t mean USD is looking at Division I.

University of North Dakota athletic director Roger Thomas reiterated UND’s pro-Division II stance on Thursday.

“It’s been a quiet issue around here,” Thomas said.

Thomas was asked if school boosters or alumni were putting pressure on the school to look at Division I.

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” he said. “There are people standing firm on both sides of the issue.”

Readers can reach Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack at (701) 241-5546

[SDSUFAN]

The hockey talk and playing in Sioux Falls is spin. Just getting the money and the facility going in Vermillion is going to take some real money. By the time they get the Hockey up and running, they might have been better off going D1AA. Where would this hockey team practice on a daily basis? There is no ice facility in Vermillion that I know of. *In Brookings we at least have Larson Ice Arena. *Sounds much like a smoke screen to me. USD has not even had hockey as a club sport. So get real Higgins and is Al Neuharth going to build this facility?

[Charger]

USD doesn't have a chance at DI hockey. Hockey is a fairly new sport in South Dakota and doesn't get near the support as basketball or football. This would be a big mistake by USD. As a former youth hockey player in South Dakota I would love to see the sport become more popular and start producing players of the ND and MN caliber, but it's not possible at this time. Give it 10-20 years and maybe a team will pop up in Brookings (which is the best hockey town in SD especially with the new Larson Ice Center).

[JBB]

The USD athletic director says hockey is always a possibility.

[SDSUFAN]

JBB:
As I said above, Higgins is spinning the hockey talk and saying its a possiblity does not commit him or his dept to anything.
Charger knows more about hockey in South Dakota and I was not aware that Yankton was building an ice arena. Yankton being only 26 miles away has possiblities as a practice site. The Sioux Falls Arena is where the Stampede, a minor hockey club plays but so does the Sky Force the CBA basketball team. So between these two franchises, I dont see how USD would be able to play a home schedule, without a new ice facility.

Al Neuharth, USD ALUM, the owner of USA Today and Ganett Newspapers, has billions of dollars. AS pure speculation, Al Neuhharth could be USD's Ralph Englestad.

Neuharth started a weekly sports paper that covered high school and college basketball in the early 1950's. It was a small sized salmon colored newpaper and called SoDak Sports. I remember reading it as a 12 and 13 year old. It was a great newpaper.

Al went broke on this paper and just could not find enough adverizing to keep it running. It was his first venture. No doubt he likes sports, but I dont think he as done much in this line for USD.

Neuharth does sponsor a journalism award and has had such big names as George Will, Cokie Roberts and other big names win this award. I remember seeing Cokie Roberts on C-span accepting this award wearing yellow and blue, and this award was presented during Dakota Days week, home coming. I guess Cokie's aide had looked up the wrong South Dakota school for school colors.
If Neuharth has something like a big donation in mind then, I would believe it. Until he or some one from USD announces a major gift, hockey at USD is spin.

[Charger]

Anything is possible, but I really doubt this. *There's no way Sioux Falls could support a new college hockey team and the current USHL team. *They could play some games in Sioux Falls and maybe some in the new events center being completed in Sioux City, but I really think they need a home rink. *Practicing in Yankton would work, but for the student athlete to add in 45 minutes to an hour driving to practice time, lifting, and study hours would be very inconvenient. Ralph had strong ties with the hockey program since he was a former player. *What pride would USD's wealthy alums receive from a hockey program? * *None.

Also, does anyone know if the NCAA has regulations on the dimensions of the sheet of ice? *I know college teams usually have either NHL or Olympic dimensions, but the Sioux Falls arena is even smaller than the NHL standard. *This could also be a problem.