NEW BRUNSWICK — A formal study commissioned by a New Jersey lawmaker points to the economic benefits of Rutgers University's entrance into the Big Ten Conference and recommends that the state university invests in a potentially $50 million to $100 million upgrade to its athletics facilities.

Produced by a Philadelphia-based economic consulting firm, the 45-page report titled "Economic Impacts of Rutgers Athletics and Future Implications of the Big Ten'' was authorized by state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), who has been a vocal critic of the current state of Rutgers' athletics facilities.

A draft of the Econsult Solutions-furnished report was obtained by NJ Advance Media on Monday, two days before Lesniak is expected to release the findings on his website.

Lesniak said the report was paid for by a group of anonymous donors to the athletics program. Lesniak, who graduated from Rutgers in 1971, said the impetus for authorizing the report was the recent recommendations adopted by the University Senate — an advisory committee to the university President and governing boards — that called for the heavily subsidized athletics program to make drastic spending cuts and for the restriction of any new expansion or construction of athletics facilities.

"It was (paid for) by a handful of guys who have walked away from the program because of the negative signals that were coming out of that University Senate report,'' Lesniak said.

Nearly one-third of the report is dedicated to analyzing the University Senate findings, which Lesniak called "the equivalent of sixth-grade math.''

"Their report did not look at all the benefits and all the upside from investing in athletics as this report did, and did not look at all the downside from not investing,'' Lesniak told NJ Advance Media. "We have committed significant dollars into (Rutgers athletics).

"By pulling back now, we would lose the investment potential of those dollars that we've already invested. I'm hoping to convince the Board and any naysayers that this is a good thing for Rutgers. It's a good thing for the state of New Jersey. And that we should move as quickly as possible to upgrade our facilities.''

The report is not sponsored by Rutgers, but university President Robert Barchi on Wednesday acknowledged Lesniak's intentions after reading the executive summary of the report.

"I'm delighted that the senator has taken the time to have folks look at the broader issue of athletics and its impact on the state as well as our university that go beyond the simple objective numbers of a budget,'' Barchi told NJ Advance Media. "When we talk about athletics at our level, or just the (teams) themselves or changing conferences, there are a broad range of factors that come into play. Some of them are directly quantifiable. Some of them are not so easy to quantify but are equally important.

"So I think the senator's work here has gotten some of those issues out in front and I'm delighted to see it because it adds to the conversation. I consider it a very helpful addition to the dialogue. These are all things that we need to discuss both internally on campus and with our external constituencies and with our representatives in the legislature. This very much adds to the richness for the dialogue and I'm very appreciative of Sen. Lesniak for adding this.''

Lesniak considers his report to be an independent analysis of the state of Rutgers' athletics program as it completes its first year inside the Big Ten. A season ticket holder for Scarlet Knights men's basketball games for nearly two decades, Lesniak has criticized Rutgers' administration, most notably Barchi, for not arming Rutgers' 24 teams with the necessary tools to compete at a high level in the Big Ten.

Since then, others — including Gov. Chris Christie and the school's Hall of Fame women's basketball coach, C. Vivian Stringer — have called on Rutgers to make more of an investment in its athletics facilities.

Barchi told NJ Advance Media last month that a plan to upgrade the athletics facilities will be presented to the university Board of Governors at the June 18 meeting. The university President told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday that remains his intention.

Preliminary concepts in a wide-ranging facilities plan call for a basketball gymnasium and coaching offices to be built on top of a yet-to-be-built parking garage adjacent to the Rutgers Athletic Center, a renovation to the Hale Center that would accommodate the football program, and the building of locker rooms and other possible amenities underneath the south end zone bleachers at High Point Solutions Stadium.

Barchi has declined to comment on specific plans, which he said remain in their deliberative stage.

"We will present the chapter of our physical facilities masterplan for athletics to the board and they will all be approved in June, and it will be a public document at that point,'' Barchi said Wednesday. "So you'll see our plans for the now to 20-year horizon. The basic elements and where (the new facilities) are going to be will be in there.''

The findings of the Econsult Solutions conclude:

• Athletics, including high-profile sports such as football and basketball, "serve an important role for Rutgers in attracting and retaining students,'' and points to studies that have found a correlation between successful athletics programs and increased applications, higher enrollment, and higher SAT scores. "Having a higher quality student body can help improve Rutgers' reputation, and improve university rankings,'' it reads.

• Investment in athletics has also been correlated with athletic success. Television appearances from football bowl games and NCAA Tournament appearances generate advertising opportunities to nationwide audiences, and have been linked to increases in alumni donations and corporate contributions. "These donations help support the Rutgers' various athletics programs, and reduce the need for school based subsidies and student fees to fund athletics programs,'' it reads.

• Examining the potential economic impact from athletics spending within New Jersey, the report points to an increase jobs created as a result of facilities development and cites visitor spending as result of fans traveling for Big Ten games as an economic driver. "All told, the current economic and fiscal impacts from university and visitor spending include $138 million in output, supporting 1,230 jobs, and $2.9 million in taxes,'' it reads. "Potential future economic and fiscal impacts from university and visitor spending include $171 million in output, supporting 1,520 jobs, and $3.6 million in taxes.''

While the report doesn't offer formal recommendations, it acknowledges the benefits of upgrading Rutgers' athletics facilities:

Lesniak said he was satisfied with the report's conclusions and envisioned a day when Rutgers' athletics facilities in general — and the 38-year old Rutgers Athletic Center in particular — are comparable with the state university's Big Ten peers.

"I'm hoping for a RAC that is upgraded and has the kinds of amenities that are not there now,'' Lesniak said. "I'm hoping for a practice facility for all sports, upgraded football facilities, locker rooms and the kind of 'wow factor' that when our coaches go to recruit, they can point to as a positive rather than what currently exists in a lot of the facilities that are being used right now.''

Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.