Yeah, I was going to ask the question about whether or not a schedule is being worked on, but obviously, a statement to the effect hasn't been released yet.  I would have hoped a schedule would have been worked out yet, but with covid's comings and goings, I am sure that is a tough nut to crack.  Here's hoping......

-Ski

p.s.  I wish all of you a safe and happy new year.....

Really makes you wonder how many players really have the finances in place to spend another semester in college

Regardless, as an athlete, would you rather play 5 games or no games? 

-Ski

A sound choice indeed.

-Ski

It is all but academic at this point.  The best we can hope for is a robust spring ball season.....

-Ski

The question I have in the Door #1 scenario is: What does DSU gain in a scenario where Wesley maintains a separate campus and/or athletic department? In the article I read, the Wesley AD Tracey Short seemed to be optimistic that sports would be part of Wesley’s future. For that to happen, there has to be some autonomy on the Wesley campus.

That would be rather historic.  Mixed divisions is unusual, but obviously not unheard of (Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, etc.).   The case for a seperate DIII doesn't really work.   I just hoping for the best, expecting the worst.

-Ski

I kind of agree. Also, he mentioned the Penn State "model" (where none of the satellites have a football program) vs. The University of Wisconsin "model", where each of the branches do. I will never say never, but I don't see a DSU-Wesley Campus...............nor a DSU-Wesley football program and if any of the incoming student athletes read it the same way, you might very well see a bunch of them (A) making calls to other schools to transfer ASAP; (B) taking a "pandemic gap year" for the purposes of transferring OR (C) taking a "much-cheaper-tuition-a-year-from-now-at-DSU gap year". Time will tell. I wish Wesley the best.

It comes down to a single question that you have to ask yourself of which I don't like the answer:  Why keep a DIII program in the same town as a DI?   The UW system is geographically separated, Wesley isn't.  So, when it comes to the question of finances, I don't see a good outcome.   Lets be honest.  With the big exception to football, Wesley's athletic programs are tiny and average at best.  There is no compelling reason to keep them.  We all know about the football program, but keeping DIII status for that alone is being rather hopeful when looking at the big picture.  Yeah, I know Wesley needed this to avoid vacant buildings that lay two blocks away from my house, but I fear that the soul will vanish in a year's time.

-Ski

PS ...and DSU still has time to goof up the whole deal......

Well, only time will tell now what happens.......

Here is the full letter to Alumni from President Clark:


"Dear Wesley College Family,

 We have signed a Definitive (Acquisition) Agreement with Delaware State University that will start a year--long process culminating in us becoming part of Delaware State University, and in doing so, increase the educational opportunities afforded to our students, state, and region. By coming together to form a stronger and more diverse university system, this agreement ensures the real potential, if fully executed, for us collectively to be able to continue to provide the life-changing educational instruction to the students we serve, while also ensuring as best as possible a secure future for the many dedicated faculty and staff who have provided this oasis of educational transformation for so many years.

 As I have stated throughout this process, for at least the next year we will be governed and operated as we have been in the past while we work through the details and changes that will occur for AY`22 and into the future. When we started the search over two years ago for the right partner, I had mentioned many times that mergers/acquisitions/consortiums would be the norm in the future of higher education, just as it has become for other service-oriented professions like Health Care. With the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic the future was forced upon higher education, and many small and medium size independent institutions are scrambling to find partnerships and a way to survive. We are fortunate to have already been well into this journey before our collective world was turned upside down by the unprecedented economic effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

 Though this is truly a great opportunity for our two institutions, as well as our state, we still have a very uncertain future resulting from the unknowns that lie ahead with the COVID-19 Pandemic. Because of these uncertainties, there are contingencies associated with the Definitive (Acquisition) Agreement, the biggest being securing external (Federal, private…etc.) funding support to assist in the transformation process. I am cautiously optimistic, and will continue to do everything possible to ensure with any eventuality that we will be able to continue the Wesley legacy of providing life-changing educational opportunities to the students we serve, while also protecting the salary and benefits of our faculty and staff for as long as possible moving forward, as we all continue to deal with the uncertainty resulting from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic.

 Our Partnership Advisory Group (PAG), will remain the core interface group and we will bring in others as needed in our dealing with Delaware State University over the next year as we work through a myriad of issues before becoming fully integrated into their system next summer. I want to thank the members of the PAG for their unrelenting efforts, counsel, and dedication to this process, as well as each and every one of you for your patience and feedback.

 I apologize for you having to read and/or hear about this through the news media vice from me first. I was hoping to be able to provide you this information before it became public, but unfortunately as our timeline for release slipped it was inevitable that various news outlets would push forward. These have been very stressful and anxious times, but we were, and continue to be, all in this together.

Over the next several weeks, as well as when we return for the Fall semester, we will have Q & A sessions to answer questions you may have. Additionally, we will continue to provide periodic updates, to include “Town Hall” meetings (virtual at first), as we have done in the past. Have a great Thursday & Go Wolverines!

 All The Best

Robert E. Clark II
President of the College"