ASK THE A.D. - EARL W. EDWARDS

Question---With the start of the Fall Quarter, what are some of the areas of focus for UCSD Athletics?

EDWARDS—As always, the overall competitive excellence of our program, the student-athlete experience we’re providing and the academic progress of our student-athletes are ongoing priorities.

Specific to Fall 2006, the biggest issue for us is solidifying a long range plan for the fiscal stability of UCSD Athletics. Our staff has been working for much of the last year with the Student Affairs staff, Associated Students and outside experts to get develop a clear picture of our financial position, where we stand in comparison to like institutions and what we will need to maintain a first-rate program both now and in the future.

The more we have studied the situation, the more apparent it becomes that a student-supported athletic fee will be a necessary component if we want to sustain and improve UCSD Athletics. It would allow us to overcome some of our current limitations as well as bring us into compliance with the NCAA’s requirement for athletic scholarships at all Division II universities.

Assuming that we move forward down the path towards such a referendum, that will be a primary focus in the next several months.

Previous Questions:

October 5, 2005

May 13, 2005