Ask The A.D.
Following are questions submitted by fans to our email (info@msubobcats.com). If you have a question for Director of Athletics Peter Fields, please email your question along with full name and daytime phone to the email above.
April 15, 2010
During my tenure at MSU, I couldn't help but notice that marketing for MSU really did not extend into the entire Bozeman area. Of course, the downtown area has it's occasional displays of school spirit, but when you get further away from campus, the displays of school spirit are few and far in between. As much as I hate to compare our University with our rival to the west, I can't help but notice that whenever I am in Missoula, the school spirit shown by local businesses is absolutely incredible.
Is there currently some sort of plan in the marketing/athletic department to rally the Bozeman businesses and surrounding community around MSU and Bobcat Athletics? What is the current direction of the athletic marketing and its plan on gathering support from both the Bozeman community and the rest of the state of Montana? Amidst this economic downturn, are there new ideas and concepts being put forth to attain new financial support for MSU? Lastly, are there any plans in having the student body voice their opinion in how to better the attendance for MSU's sporting events?
-Tyler Irwin
Our marketing plan is continually evolving. The Assistant AD for Marketing has served on the Chamber Relations Committee for Bozeman since he arrived two years ago, and has initiated a number of events with Bozeman businesses including the annual Cat/Griz pep rally, the Chamber Turf Party, Family Fun Day, Bobcat Fest-- which is a collaboration with MSU alumni held the week of graduation in downtown Bozeman, and Blue & Gold Fridays, just to name a few. Currently, we are working at identifying new projects and expanding the ones we have started. We are also working on ways to identify additional marketing opportunities along the 19th St. corridor coming into Bozeman.
This spring we are adding another Bozeman event—the Spring Football Game April 24. There will be lots of activities surrounding the game including live streaming audio on the website, a Twitter feed from the game, a pregame tailgate party and contest , and an autograph session to follow. It promises to be a great day for Bobcat fans in our area.
Feb. 8, 2010
Would it be possible to begin posting updates to the Bobcat Stadium renovation project? Washington State's AD Jim Sterk does this periodically. Many fans would like to know how the project is progressing...maybe on a monthly or quarterly basis.
-Tom Donovan
Washington State is currently in the third phase of their stadium renovation project which has already had some major construction pieces at their stadium. Their campaign went public some time ago and they are currently soliciting general public contributions through a number of different venues and projects.
The difference between us at this point, is that we are still in the quiet phase of our capital campaign and technically have not begun our stadium renovation project yet. The way our campaign is set up, we won't do this kind of general public solicitation of funds until we have reached a certain funding level with larger donations (70-80%).
Once we have reached the funding level where our campaign can go public, I will definitely pursue this. We are continuing to work hard at the process of raising initial funds for the project, and are anxious to bring our fans into the whole process.
Dec. 15
1. With the news and rumors that various FCS schools are looking into moving up to the FBS level in the coming years, what do you see on the horizon for MSU in terms of potentially moving up at some point? As UM is obviously on the short list for such a move, are you guys working to put MSU into a position to make such a move, or do you think that MSU would be fine remaining in the FCS even if UM moves up?
2. It seems like we’ve been hearing about a vague “restructuring” that is supposed to take place within Division 1 football for years now, although nothing even seems to materialize. Is there any activity at the national level to do an ambitious restructuring of the divisions that might impact MSU, such as a realignment that moves the Big Sky Conference up to the same level as the WAC and other similar conferences?
-Brad Bergum
Because these two questions are very similar, I’ll address them both in one entry.
First, a move to FBS is not easy, even if you are on the top in FCS. The costs associated with a move to FBS are tremendous. First, FBS requires that football be funded at 85 full scholarships. Currently, we are funded at 63 full scholarships, per FCS regulations, and our scholarship association picks up only about 30 percent of that cost at the present. There are also requirements at the FBS level for more sports teams and staff than we currently have. We would probably have to add at least one sport, maybe two depending on how our gender equity equation came out.
At this point in time, we as an institution are not considering a move to the FBS. We don’t have the population base here to support such a move, and our attendance levels and revenues are not adequate to participate at that level. At this time, our entire budget would not even make the salary level line of most of the larger FBS institutions.
The reason these two questions are related is because there have been some minor peripheral talks about another level of college football. At this time, the idea does not have any traction. Should it be developed in the future and it looked like an area that our institution felt we needed to participate in, we would move. One of the keys to remember is that it is an institution fit, and not just an athletic department fit.
Dec. 11
Can you outline what opportunities you see the future holding for MSU athletics (what kind of things do you see on the horizon that make you excited about MSU athletics?) and what we, as fans and friends of the program, can do to help you guys make the most of those opportunities?
-Brad Bergum
We think the opportunities for the future here are tremendous. The first thing that creates that excitement is the caliber of the student-athletes we are attracting here, academically and athletically. Watching them grow from 17-18 year-old students to 21-22 year-old adults makes our jobs worthwhile. More of our student-athletes are taking advantage of the academic, athletic and community opportunities available to them and making significant contributions in those areas.
Another thing we are really excited about is the passion of our fan base here. Bobcat fans are dedicated and that makes our jobs easier and creates a confidence in what we’re doing. Our fans are joining the Bobcat Club, buying tickets to games, contributing to the fan clubs of our programs, and generally supporting us. We want to thank you all for being such great fans.
Thirdly, our facilities renovation plans are exciting. We never could have predicted the economy would take a downturn right after we revealed our plans for facility expansion, but I am confident that our fans will get us to the next level in facility improvements.
As to what our fans can do to help, you could all start by joining the Bobcat Club to help with our scholarship costs. The more general budget money we can use for program upgrades, the faster we will get to where we want to be. It takes money to improve programs and win more, and we need your help getting there.
Dec. 11
As fans, we have the luxury of being on the outside looking in, and we can cheer or jeer what you guys do based solely on how many games a team wins or other relatively simple measures, and we often have no real idea of what goes into running an athletic department and making positive results occur. From your position “on the inside looking out,” can you explain to us some of the biggest challenges you and everyone else in the athletic department face of which perhaps we on the outside aren’t aware?
-Brad Bergum
Just as an example, we pay out a little over $9000 a year for every student- athlete on full scholarship. That figure includes room, board, books and fees. The university grants us fee waivers for tuition. Last year, we had 121 student-athletes on full scholarships and 104 on partials—some sports can split their full scholarships and distribute them to more athletes. We also had 94 walk-ons who get practice gear, equipment, etc. Student aid and student-athlete expenses account for about 24% of our total budget. Those costs are fixed.
The purpose of the Bobcat Club is to help us offset that scholarship bill, but currently only supports approximately 30% of that cost. That is one of the reasons we encourage our fans to join the Bobcat Club. As they cover more of that cost, the more general budget we can have for program improvements and other costs.
The university has mandated some across-the-board budget cuts and we have participated in that by cutting costs where we could and cutting some staff positions. It is a huge challenge to balance the needs of our student-athletes and programs with the resources we have available. While we are getting better at it, it’s still the most difficult thing we do. It takes the cooperation of all the coaches, staff and facilities workers. We all have to be on the same page. All our staff wear many hats and put in a lot of long hours to help our student-athletes and programs succeed.
Another challenge we face that many fans may not be aware of is communicating our dedication to our department mission. All of us are here to promote student-athlete welfare first and to support their success on and off the field. We truly believe that success is not just measured on the field, but in the classroom and in the community as well. Yes, we want to win, and we want to win conference championships. But that all has to be balanced so we accomplish it with the goal of keeping the student-athlete’s needs first. Not every school has those priorities and not all fans have those priorities. And one of our biggest challenges is communicating that.
Dec. 9, 2009
What is the current status of the debt that was taken on from the last expansion? How much is still owed? How much longer on the loan? How much is the pre-payment penalty should MSU pay if off early? Have you asked the lender to re-negotiate the note to include more favorable terms? With all the FBS games we play, shouldn’t that debt be gone by now?
-Jason Wiers and Rick Gustine
The 1997 stadium remodel was done as a piece of a bond issued through the university--the bond is over a 30-year period. There are call points associated with the bond, and we have never been in a financial situation to call the bond when those points are up. There are about 17 years left on the bond at this time.
Last year the state legislature made some changes that may allow us to make changes in the way we finance renovations in the future. We are working with the university foundation to facilitate some of these changes. It will allow us to be more flexible when it comes to contractors, etc. on our building projects.
The revenue from our FBS games does not go towards the debt retirement—it goes into our general operating budget. If we get to a point where we can sustain attendance at a point where we could wean off the FBS money in our general budget, we can reconsider that strategy. But until we get there financially, we need to continue with the FBS scheduling philosophy.
Our current level of ticket sales is helping us keep up the pace with program improvements we are making. For instance, we have changed some of our travel procedures to allow our students to miss less class. So for now, that FBS money helps us continue to improve our programs as the cost of operating increases.
With the current economy and a new university president coming in, we do not have a solid schedule for these improvements to take place.
I know the fund raising campaign for the student side sky suites is still in the "quiet phase" and the economy is in the toilet, but can you give any update as to the status of that project.
-Rick Gustine
I know a lot of you have questions about the capital campaign progress. The economy has forced us to consider other ways to approach the sky suites improvements. We are actively seeking donors for that project; it is our first priority. There are a lot of people out there that would like to see us succeed and want to help. I cannot share the exact figures of where we are in the campaign at this time and I hope you understand this. The east sky suites are also projected to produce additional discretionary money, enabling us to invest in other program improvements.
Are there any other short term facility improvements coming up?
-Rick Gustine
We are still exploring scoreboard upgrades, and are still working with a local company to see if we can facilitate that. Our priorities are the arena scoreboard first and then the football scoreboard, simply because of the ages and current state of each. Our arena scoreboard hardware is not available anymore, so each time we have a problem (as we have had in the last couple years), we have to get the hardware rebuilt. There will come a time when a part of that equipment gives out and we will have to replace the whole set-up. We are presently working on that project. The price tag on the scoreboard we would like to have in the arena would probably cost a minimum of $500,000-$750,000.
Explain the difficulty in scheduling teams to come to Bozeman (non-conference). Most of us don't like to play the Adams State's and Dixie State's but we are told it is difficult to schedule games with other 1-AA opponents.
-Gary Tapp
Scheduling an FSC school on a one-time basis is becoming more difficult each year. We almost have to do a home and home contract to get those schools. Down the road, we could end up with only a five home games in a season so we are trying to be careful about our scheduling non-conference home and home games.
We have had at least one D-I (play-up) game each year for some time. The last couple of years we have found some teams willing to pay us a large some of $ (I heard that we were paid as much as $600K for a couple of those games). If so, why play WSU next year? I would assume that pay day would be much smaller.
-Gary Tapp
You are right—the pay day for the WSU game is less. However, because travel costs are so much lower for us, we come out about the same as we would with a bigger pay-off game.
Will MSU continue to seek FBS games for the financial gain? Or, is it possible to make as much money for a home playoff game (this thought taking in to account the expanded playoff system, a more playoff favorable schedule, etc.)?
-Jason Wiers
This is a question that doesn’t have an exact answer as financial gain from a play-off game is not really a factor. We have to bid(pay) to get those games, if we qualify, and any gain we make is dependent on the gate. Our last playoff game here was not a sell-out, so the financial gain was in direct proportion to the gate. Even if we expand our post season numbers in the FCS, this would still be the case.
Dec. 8, 2009
What can be done to help improve student attendance at Football and Basketball games? Are there any plans or ideas to encourage students to attend more? These are future Bobcat Club members and donors. I am afraid that the apathy showed by the majority of the students is going to come back and hurt MSU in the future. I agree that we don’t need to have a free-for-all beer party out in the student tailgate area. Can MSU sell tailgate tickets for say $5.00 to those students who don’t want to attend the game? Maybe they will see those who actually go to the games and what fun they are having will then want to attend. Plus, the $5.00 per person ticket could go towards hiring of a couple of extra security people and insurance.
-Dan Dallas, Helena, MT
Dan-
Thanks for your questions. There are really two separate questions here, and I will address the tailgate question first. There are few subjects with our fans that raise as much passion as tailgating at football games. It is a huge part of the game day experience and is becoming very popular here in Bozeman. Over the last three years, we have seen purchases of season tailgate passes climb each year, including student spots, and the Bobcat Club has a waiting list of people for spots. We are excited that tailgating is evolving into a great Bobcat community activity. But, I think the answer to your question will make more sense if we look at some history first.
After the 2005 football season, which included a Cat-Griz game here, several university entities involved in game day management raised some serious questions about the safety of the student tailgate lot. The space, which only safely holds a certain number of people, was being pushed way beyond capacity to the point where we all felt there was a huge risk of something tragic happening there that would shut down our opportunities to tailgate for good. At the same time, there was a growing concern in the athletic department that we were being asked to host a huge public drinking party that was beginning to disconnect from anything related to the actual football game.
We decided to take 2006 and keep track of numbers and incidents in that lot and explore what other universities our size were doing as far as tailgating went. What we found was that the number of people in that tailgate lot was much higher than what the University Police deemed safe and also that a large majority of those fans were not attending any portion of the game. We were also getting complaints from people with families that the atmosphere in that tailgate lot was not family-friendly.
We are uncomfortable with a public expectation that athletics should sponsor an “open to the public” drinking party at each home football game. It doesn’t fit in with our mission or the mission of the university. We’ve found it doesn’t fit in with the philosophies of many other colleges either. Sacramento State’s tailgates are shut down at game time, as are NAU’s. Weber State does not have any tailgating per se and neither does Idaho State. Both campuses have a strict alcohol policy. Portland State does not have much tailgating as they sell beer in their stadium (which does not belong to the school) and Montana’s policy says they shut down their permitted tailgates at the beginning of the third quarter. Our venue is unique in that we are only one of a few schools in our conference whose tailgating all takes place at the stadium proper.
We only had two home games this year where all the student tickets were claimed, and this is something that we are trying to work on. At games where student tickets are all claimed, we have always given out SROs at game time to students who didn’t get a ticket. Since tickets are available at most games, we don’t feel the need to consider selling a ticket to tailgate for students.
It is interesting to note that at many schools, student attendance at athletic events is down in general. I recently read an article citing the fact that Duke University had changed some of its student attendance policies for basketball to get more student attendance. Student attendance in our conference is down overall. This national trend challenges us to find new and creative ways to get our student populations engaged in athletics. We are constantly looking at the successes of other institutions to see what we can incorporate here.
The other element we are continually working on is to stay on top of the changing face of how students get information. With cell phones, internet, texting, Facebook, Twitter, etc. we are challenged to promote in an increasing number of venues. But I can assure you our marketing and PR people are working hard at it. We have a group that is working on using new media, and our new website was a big step in that direction. We are excited about the opportunities available with new media and will continue to explore how to use it better.
Thanks for taking time to read the forum and keep asking those questions.
