University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld; Could Sports Revenue Help Uplift Academics?

University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld has started to think, is the athletic programs the really way to go for the fiscal issues? During an interview, Harreld explained that he has envisioned the notion that Hawkeye sports program could share to the academic budget.

Harreld further explained, he has asked with other UI officials like Athletics Director Gary Barta, other university presidents and Hawkeyes coaches, to think of the adjustment.

Four year ago, Michael Gartner, the former state Board of Regents consulted the Des Moines Register for the funds sharing between the UI and Athletics Department. At the same time, Senator David Johnson R-Ocheyedan, pushed a bill that would provide UNI's athletics programs funds from the Iowa State and UI.

While in June 2007, the committee arrived into a decision that the sports division would be solely self-sufficient. Based on the report of the panel, in 2006, the sports division has spent almost $80,000 of their general funds outside the department.

"I'd like to see it happen relatively soon. I'd like to stand up and be one of the first major institutions in the United States that says, 'Hey, it's moving the other way,' " Harrled explained via The Daily Iowan, pointing out the progress started in 2007 that lessened Hawkeyes athletic programs and its state tax dollars.

The athletic programs that are not provided by subsidy in the Big Ten and are also lucrative were those of Purdue, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Nebraska. The planned fiscal 2015 budget is $62 million, as per the proposal of ISU Athletics Department. UI athletics program confirmed $13.1 million for revenue projections, News Gazette reported.

Harreld also verified that sustaining the UI sports program quality would also need to be focused on, however the problem will be meeting the same level of creativity that allowed UI athletics program sustain itself. On other news, despite having issues about funding, Iowa increased its profit for Hawkeye licensed sales, The Gazette reported.