Acting Prez At New York College Dumps D-1 Athletics On 1st Day
On Sunday, Dr. Miguel Martinez-Saenz was granted his request for a personal leave from the college where he was president. An acting-president was named on Monday, seemingly prepared to execute a plan.
On cue, that is what happened at St. Francis-Brooklyn. Tim Cecere, a member of the Board of Trustees at the college was named to succeed Martinez-Saenz. One could assume that Martinez-Saez was unwilling to be at the helm while such draconian cuts were felt throughout the campus he has led for the past 6 years.
According to a statement by the college, on Cecere's first day as acting-president, he followed through with his board's recommendation for "the elimination of the College's NCAA Division I athletics program, effective at the conclusion of the Spring 2023 semester." Presidents and athletic directors loathe cutting sports programs on an individual basis. Even worse, is having to drop down from Division I to Division III non-scholarship athletics. However, in all of my years, I don't recall a Division I athletic program just completely eliminated. It was shocking. What happens to their student-athletes that are not graduating in May?
The Terrier's student-athletes will all be allowed to keep their scholarships, if they decide to stay and complete their degree at St. Francis-Brooklyn. However, what about the coaches and the athletic staff? According to Monday's statement, "Employment for athletics staff and coaches will end at the conclusion of the Spring 2023 semester. The College will provide information, recommendations, and next-step guidance to help ease this transition." There is no way to "ease this transition" for coaches and staff that dedicate their lives to their student-athletes. Why cut the entire athletic program?
Long and short, the answer is money. Division I athletics on any level is expensive. In 2023, many colleges are looking for ways to secure their existence. According to the statement put out by St. Francis-Brooklyn, "There are challenges facing higher education institutions, particularly smaller liberal arts colleges in the Northeast, from which SFC is not immune. Among these challenges are increased operating expenses, flattening revenue streams, and plateauing enrollment due in part to a shrinking pool of high school graduates in the aftermath of the pandemic." This is a story playing out throughout the country and will continue to do-so, as the top-end of Division I programs push the bottom-end institutions out of the game. Though the college sports pie will continue to be get more valuable, the number of schools participating will continue to get smaller.