[ UH ATHLETICS ]
Frazier’s budget
approvedRegents call the plan to take
athletics out of a deficit
"aggressive"
Hawaii athletic director Herman Frazier wants to focus on the future of the UH athletics department, but he spent some time yesterday addressing the past.
Frazier presented and received approval from the Board of Regents for an "aggressive" five-year plan to lift the department out of deficit beginning in the 2005 fiscal year.
UH operated under a $2.5 million deficit in the 2002-03 fiscal year. The deficit was reduced in 2004 to $1.2 million, but the department was still short of being self-sustaining.
Frazier highlighted the major factors that contributed to the $2.5 million shortfall, including gate receipts of revenue-earning sports that did not meet projected estimates.
The projected budget for the five-year financial plan in the 2005 fiscal year includes more than $19 million in revenues, with expenses trimmed to $17.9 million. The athletic department estimates bringing in revenues exceeding $20 million by 2007 and reaching $22 million in 2008. Operating expenses are expected to exceed $20 million in 2009.
Increasing premium seat donations and securing large guarantees from opponents for road football games were some of the points Frazier highlighted in the plan to have the athletics department functioning in the black through 2009.
In his presentation, Frazier outlined integrating the athletics department's five-year plan with the five-year goals of Ahahui Koa Anuenue, UH-Manoa's booster club.
Among the primary revenue generators would be merging premium seat donations with donations to Koa Anuenue. The organization provided $2 million in scholarship funds last year, but fell short of its $3 million goal.
Premium seat donations could be integrated into a seven-tiered dues structure for Koa Anuenue. Benefits could combine season-ticket packages for several Hawaii sports, including football, men's basketball, men's and women's volleyball and baseball.
UH chancellor Peter Englert called the plan, "bold yet achievable."
"You stretch yourselves with plans," Englert said. "The most exciting thing about it is a new development, how we can generate more revenue with the revenue sports through the concept of having premium seats and having people become a part of Koa Anuenue. We will support this.
"The team that Herman has, including the new coaches coming in, are providing me the base and confidence that our athletics department will advance. In addition, I feel we have all the problems solved with conference affiliation. We are firmly embedded in the WAC . I think the WAC is going to be a very stable and future-oriented conference. We have all the right colleges for our development. We have a group of nine dedicated public universities."
The Board of Regents considered the plan daring and intend to hold Frazier accountable for it.
"It's an aggressive plan. We hope he succeeds," said regent Myron Yamasato, the chair of the committee on university audits. "There's a lot of new things he's trying out to turn the deficit into a surplus."
Frazier believes it is very doable.
"There's a lot of things in there that aren't hard for us to achieve," Frazier said. "We are probably very, very low on some of our estimates."
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Bolla hire expected to be approved today
The University of Hawaii is expected to introduce the new Rainbow Wahine head basketball coach in a press conference this afternoon.Former Nevada-Las Vegas coach Jim Bolla will be presented as the sixth head coach in program history. He was likely approved when the Board of Regents met in private yesterday. Bolla succeeds retired coach Vince Goo, who set an academic standard while winning on the basketball court.
Bolla coached at UNLV from 1982 to 1996, going to three NCAA Tournaments. He owns the most career wins at UNLV (300-120).
The Rainbow Wahine finished 8-20 last season.
Star-Bulletin staff