By Ray Lesniak

The recent Greg Schiano saga wasn’t the first time Rutgers Board of Governors and President Robert Barchi were put to the test to pull back or push ahead on spending for athletic facilities to compete in the Big Ten Conference. Hopefully, with the recent rise from the ashes hiring of Greg Schiano, the second time will be the last test of Rutgers University’s commitment to invest in Big Ten quality athletic facilities.

Back in 2015, Rutgers’ governors and President Barchi were under great pressure from the Rutgers University Senate which is made up of faculty and staff members, administrators, and students. Mark Killingsworth, professor of economics, a longtime critic of Rutgers athletics spending through the years, drew applause from the Senate when he said during his presentation: "Academics should no longer be treated as a trust fund for the athletics program.”

At that time, I had commissioned an economic analysis of the overall benefits of having a Big Ten athletics program and Big Ten facilities and reacted sharply to the criticism from Professor Killingsworth, “It’s embarrassing to me as someone who went through the economics program at Rutgers to learn that the Rutgers Senate came to this conclusion without empirical evidence to back it up,'' Lesniak told NJ Advance Media in 2015. "My preliminary results are very convincing that an enhanced athletics program will not only benefit Rutgers financially, but also benefit the state of New Jersey in ways that are immeasurable.''

The study I commissioned by Econsult Solutions Inc., which provides insights into economic problems, policy questions, and strategic thinking, delved deeply into the fiscal impacts of athletic spending, “All told, the current economic and fiscal impacts from university and visitor spending include $138 million in output, support of 1,230 jobs and $2.9 million in taxes. Potential future economic and fiscal impacts from university and visitor spending include $171 million in output, support of 1,520 jobs and $3.6 million in taxes.”

This report also delved into the need for Rutgers to upgrade its athletic facilities in order to keep pace with its new Big Ten competitors. High Point Solutions Stadium, home to Rutgers’ football team, opened in 1994 and was renovated in 2009 when roughly 11,000 seats were added to bring its seating capacity to 52,424. It’s currently the third-smallest stadium in the Big Ten in terms of capacity.

Rutgers Athletic Center, home to Rutgers’ basketball team and better known as “The RAC,” opened in 1977 and has a seating capacity of 8,000. It’s currently the smallest basketball arena in the Big Ten in terms of capacity.

Other key findings of the study:

“University athletics, particularly revenue sports like football and basketball, serve an important role for the University in attracting and retaining students. National programs and athletic success have been found to correlate with increased applications, higher enrollment, and higher SAT scores. Having a higher quality student body can help improve Rutgers’ reputation, and improve university rankings.

Investment in athletics has also been correlated with athletic success. Having a successful year increases the odds of appearances in football bowl games, or the national basketball tournament “March Madness.” Television appearances from these events generate advertising opportunities to nationwide audiences, and have been linked to increases in alumni donations and corporate contributions. These donations help support Rutgers’ various athletics programs, and reduce the need for school based subsidies and student fees to fund athletics programs.”

The Econsult Study turned back the naysayers as Rutgers President Barchi proclaimed, “We made a commitment to go into the Big Ten.” “We have a business plan for what we’re going to do in the next five years. .. We know what that means financially.”

This time it took a full court press by big donors, former players and fans to bring hope back to Rutgers failing football program in the name of Greg Schiano and his insistence for an upgrade in football facilities - the Greg Schiano who took another failing Rutgers team to six bowl games, winning five.

I’m a fan and, as all fans, enjoy supporting competitive teams. I’m also a policy maker for the State of New Jersey and understand the public policy impact of Big Ten athletic spending. The Econsult Study demonstrates that Rutgers leadership again is choosing wisely for Rutgers football fans, Rutgers University and the State of New Jersey.

Raymond (“Ray”) Lesniak served in the State Senate from 1983 to 2018 and in the General Assembly from 1978 to 1983.

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