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President/Superintendent's Blog


CR's December 18, 2020 Times Standard Article


Published on 12/15/2020.

Like most public institutions and service providers, the budgets of many community colleges have been deeply affected due to the pandemic. Many university and community college leaders have had to make difficult budget-balancing decisions in order for their institutions to continue to provide educational opportunities to students. College of the Redwoods has not been immune to making necessary reductions in its general and categorical funds as a result of the state’s budget uncertainty.

It has been about seven months since we announced a reduction of our general fund allocation to the Health, Physical Education, Kinesiology, Recreation, Dance and Athletic Department by at least $475,000 and the associate faculty budget by about $570,000 to make sure that the college was positioned to address short and long term fiscal concerns. The reduction of the Athletic Department budget included the suspension of the intercollegiate football team.  In a June 4 press release, I stated that the status quo of the Athletic Department was unacceptable in the midst of our need to reduce costs while at the same time making sure that the college is fiscally solvent. I indicated that we needed to address issues related to equitable opportunities for women athletes and that we needed to be better positioned financially to support the sports that remained.

The comments I received immediately following the announcement suggested that there had been some misunderstanding in the community as to the fate of the football program – it was never my intention to cut the football program, only to put it on hold while we ironed out the issues and got a clearer picture of our budgetary outlook. I envisioned bringing football back when the fiscal outlook of the college improved.

Today, I can say that I am optimistic that our fiscal condition will improve in 2022-21 when CR returns to some semblance of normalcy in terms of class offerings, and the California economy continues to recover next year. In fact, confident that better fiscal times are ahead, several weeks ago I approved Athletic Director Bob Brown’s recommendation to reinstate football in fall 2022 because I believe that if we address the issues laid out earlier, a well-run football program could add to the college’s ability to instill important life lessons in student athletes.

To paraphrase Linda Emma in her article “The Importance of College Athletic Programs to Universities” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 21 Nov. 2017), I believe that our intercollegiate athletic programs are integrally connected to College of the Redwoods' reputation, enrollment, and relationship with the community. I also believe, as Emma does, that “direct participants in athletic programs develop good habits of fitness, competitiveness, drive and discipline. What they learn about teamwork, individual responsibility, determination and goal-oriented tasks follow them into their future.”                                      

My decision to explore reinstating football is predicated on our ability to develop and sustain an adequate budget to fund the football program without jeopardizing our overall fiscal solvency or negatively affecting our instructional mission and to remain compliant with Title IX requirements. We will also constrain our recruitment activities to California, Oregon, Nevada and Arizona.  

It is also imperative that the football program follow the example set by our other sports teams by prioritizing academic achievement and retention and graduation rates, which have been remarkable. The cumulative GPA of all student athletes has steadily grown since the 2017-18 school year and is now at 2.97. Twenty-five student athletes received state academic recognition with GPA's above 3.5. Additionally, 48 student athletes graduated in 2019-20—which was an increase over the prior year and their retention rate (returning semester after semester) of 96.2% in 2019-20 surpassed the district average of 91.9%. 

Athletic Director Bob Brown and I recognize that, going forward, we cannot meet these goals under our current model. To help us meet the challenges and opportunities inherent in reinstating a large athletic program like football, I have enlisted the services of a consultant with expertise in athletics and student services.

Mr. Gene Holloway’s background is well suited for this engagement. He was a semi-professional U.S. Navy athlete, has five years of coaching experience (basketball, football, track & field, cross-country), and 12 years of higher education experience He is also familiar with our athletic program since his brother was a student athlete at CR. Gene will begin his work in January with discussions with CR coaches, local high school football coaches, and the administration. Gene will also talk to key community members. I will identify those community members shortly. I expect Gene’s final recommendations by March 30.

Additionally, because the football program requires funding above and beyond typical program expenses per student, the College of the Redwoods Foundation is committed to raising $250,000 from the community to cover costs of football program staff and team travel, and to upgrade the intercollegiate weight room. Fundraising will begin soon.

I am excited by the prospect that CR can bring football back to Humboldt. I know that the community considers it an important part of our collective experience and the absence has been felt profoundly. My hope is that, through these proposed changes and with the goodwill of our neighbors and community members, we can create a vibrant, self-sustaining program that will be a boon to our students and a source of pride for our community.

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