Future of Division III

[Kuiper]

Russell Sage merging with Albany College of Pharmacy

Creating one of the region's largest private higher education institutions with the broadest catalog of programs in the health professions and strong programs in education, business, criminal justice, the sciences, pre-med, pre-health, and arts and humanities, Russell Sage College and Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) plan to merge.

A memorandum of understanding, approved by both institutions' boards of trustees, calls for a merger upon approval by regulatory bodies, with an estimated completion date of fall 2027. All students will have the opportunity to complete their degree programs at their respective colleges prior to the merger and at the combined institution after the merger, and will see expanded academic, student life, and athletic opportunities after the merger is final and approved by all regulatory bodies.

The combined institution, to be known as Russell Sage, with an anticipated enrollment of approximately 4,000 students on campuses in Albany and Troy, New York, as well as online, would likely become the third-largest private institution for higher education in the Capital Region, based on current publicly available enrollment data. The merger will result in a unified institution with combined assets of approximately $246 million, including $115 million in endowment investments.

[Caz Bombers]

Should be great for Russell Sage going forward, first the demise of Saint Rose removes a competitor for local students and now this. ACPHS is literally next door to Sage, I'm surprised they didn't merge years ago.

Nobody will miss ACPHS's barely functioning USCAA athletic department, except maybe Union men's soccer which loved to whoop up on them on a random Tuesday in October to pump up their stats.

[IC798891]

9-0 earlier this year. No lies detected

[Kuiper]

Looks like the future of D1 athletics involves cutting or downgrading in status teams in a lot of non-revenue sports.  In some cases, D3 will be the beneficiary.

https://x.com/NILvsNLI/status/1916963013338534071

Grand Canyon University announced today that it is dropping its Men's Volleyball program to club status.

At least 183 NCAA Olympic sports programs have been slated for elimination or downgrading in just the past 5 months.

https://x.com/NILvsNLI/status/1917352259765314041

One NCAA Division 1 non-revenue Olympic sports program has been eliminated or downgraded in status every 4-5 days, on average, since last November...

[IC798891]

It makes sense though. The closest D1/2 institution to them is 361 miles away. Seems not viable long term

This is a lot like when schools cut majors and then you look and it's like "Well, there's only 10 students enrolled in the major"

[jknezek]

It makes sense though. The closest D1/2 institution to them is 361 miles away. Seems not viable long term

This is a lot like when schools cut majors and then you look and it's like "Well, there's only 10 students enrolled in the major"

It's not the one-off that is concerning, it's the trend. Lots of D1 sports teams are disappearing, and it's going to happen a lot more. Personally, I think if you are not in the Power 4, you should get out of D1. It just makes no sense anymore. You aren't playing the same game, on the same field. Go create a level that makes sense for all those schools and stop hoping and dreaming you are going to hit it big in football and basketball.

[Caz Bombers]

Utah cut beach volleyball, seemed like an odd fit for their athletic department anyway, given the, shall we say, dearth of oceanfront property in Salt Lake City or the state of Utah generally.

[Kuiper]

Utah cut beach volleyball, seemed like an odd fit for their athletic department anyway, given the, shall we say, dearth of oceanfront property in Salt Lake City or the state of Utah generally.

It's actually pretty cheap and common just to truck in sand (even for an inside court like the long jump pit for indoor track) wherever you are located.  Even UCLA has its beach volleyball court on campus. The players use the ones located on the beach all the time, but it's not practical as your home court since you can't control a portion of the beach regularly and keep it manicured.  But, the point about Utah being far removed does affect recruiting and travel, which underscores another aspects of schools dropping sports - the more who drop them, the farther others have to travel to find opponents, which makes the costs higher and hard to justify.

[Gray Fox]

Looks like the future of D1 athletics involves cutting or downgrading in status teams in a lot of non-revenue sports.  In some cases, D3 will be the beneficiary.

https://x.com/NILvsNLI/status/1916963013338534071

Grand Canyon University announced today that it is dropping its Men's Volleyball program to club status.

At least 183 NCAA Olympic sports programs have been slated for elimination or downgrading in just the past 5 months.

https://x.com/NILvsNLI/status/1917352259765314041

One NCAA Division 1 non-revenue Olympic sports program has been eliminated or downgraded in status every 4-5 days, on average, since last November...

Grand Canyon is a for profit university.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Looks like the future of D1 athletics involves cutting or downgrading in status teams in a lot of non-revenue sports.  In some cases, D3 will be the beneficiary.

https://x.com/NILvsNLI/status/1916963013338534071

Grand Canyon University announced today that it is dropping its Men's Volleyball program to club status.

At least 183 NCAA Olympic sports programs have been slated for elimination or downgrading in just the past 5 months.

https://x.com/NILvsNLI/status/1917352259765314041

One NCAA Division 1 non-revenue Olympic sports program has been eliminated or downgraded in status every 4-5 days, on average, since last November...

Grand Canyon is a for profit university.

Pretty sure they've reversed course on that.  I believe its still in the courts with regards to accreditation, but the IRS recognizes them as non-profit once again.  The for-profit years seemed to be a chance for the investors who saved the school from bankruptcy to recoup their investment (with profit) and now they're happy to be back operating as a "typical" college.

[Ron Boerger]

According to the IRS, GCU has been "non-profit" since 2015. 

As of their June 2024 tax filing, the school reported revenue of $1.87B, expenses of $1.84B, total assets of $2.05B, and total liabilities of $1.54B.  I would love to dig further into that but can't take the time now (and it's not D3 so who cares anyway )

[Gray Fox]

According to the IRS, GCU has been "non-profit" since 2015. 

As of their June 2024 tax filing, the school reported revenue of $1.87B, expenses of $1.84B, total assets of $2.05B, and total liabilities of $1.54B.  I would love to dig further into that but can't take the time now (and it's not D3 so who cares anyway )

Sorry!  I googled it, and that was what came up. So I didn't pursue it.

[CNU85]

DII Limestone announces closure


They have won quite a few Men's Lacrosse national championships. There will be some good student athletes available.