I empathize with the University of Connecticut faculty picketing regarding the reduction of funding and its consequences on the university’s mission to “create and disseminate knowledge by means of scholarly and creative achievements, graduate and professional education, and outreach.”
UConn expects a $70 million deficit in fiscal year 2025. One year ago, UConn’s new university president, Radenka Maric, responded to Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed budget cut by saying that the university might increase tuition fees by thousands of dollars.
[UConn budget cuts would ‘destabilize’ university, staff say during protest]
But the flip side of funding is spending choices. The university recently signed a six-year, $32 million contract with the men’s basketball coach. Connecticut’s three highest paid state employees are UConn’s men’s and women’s basketball coaches and its football coach; the triumvirate takes home $10 million a year. The athletics director receives another $900,000.
The annual payroll for UConn Athletics is $48 million, according to the latest figures from the Knight Foundation. Despite the popular misconception, intercollegiate athletics does not provide revenue to the university; on the contrary, it drains campus coffers. UConn Athletics does not even come close to balancing its own budget. It spent more than double what it generated and was bailed out with $56 million comprising $49 million directly from campus funds and $7 million in student fees, according to Knight’s latest figures.
Connecticut taxpayers might consider questioning the priorities of UConn leadership.
Brian A. Barsky is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley.