Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/50077
2011-12 FUNDRAISING Good Sports with Andy Noel M ike Troy, chairman of the Athletics Alumni Advisory Committee (AAAC) and one of the Big Red's most loyal and generous friends asks the Meakem•Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education Andy Noel tough questions regarding the department's outlook as our university's sesquicentennial approaches in 2015. Troy: Cornell is planning a major celebration of our 150th anniversary. What are areas of focus for the Department of Athletics and Physical Education as we approach our Sesquicentennial? Noel: Mike, I appreciate the question and have been considering our future in terms of a five-year horizon, but am happy to respond to a three-year time frame. 1) SUCCESS IN FUNDING THE AWARD MATCH INITIATIVE (AMI)… Without question, mission critical is the funding of the Award Match Initiative that allows all applicants to Cornell to receive an adjusted financial aid package to equal a more generous package offered by any other Ivy school. In the first year of its implementation, this new program has increased the yield of top prospects that were recruited by other Ivy schools. This opportunity is available to all students, athletes and non-athletes, and includes need-based offers of financial aid from Stanford, Duke and MIT. 2) A RANGE OF PROGRAMS TO HELP DEVELOP THE PHYSICAL SELF… We must continue to provide programs that support the "sound body" component of the well known philosophical equation. In particular, our robust intramural offering, our popular Cornell Fitness Center (CFC) program, and the physical challenges provided by many of our outdoor education (COE) activities lead the way in ensuring physical health and stress relief. These programs are a priority! 3) ENSURE THAT EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP, ACROSS OUR PROGRAM, IS IN PLACE WITH FOCUSED EFFORTS ON RETENTION… Critical to achieving the intended end result of our students having a positive experience, we must have terrific leaders managing our programs. The will, work ethic and determination of our coaching staff and other program managers drive the success of each program and impact the quality of the experience. TROY: Of these three priorities, may we focus on the financial aid match scenario because it may be a bit complicated to alumni and friends who are not familiar with the Ivy financial aid landscape. Please elaborate. NOEL: Of course Mike. If any of our athletics recruits receive a more generous financial aid package from one of our peers, our coaching staff provides a copy of their package to the Office of Financial Aid and they match it so that the student may choose a university based on his/her preference and fit, not based on financial considerations. It was a founding premise of the Ivy League in 1955 (round robin play began in 1956) to remove financial aid advantage from college choice within our athletics conference. TROY: Now, I am confused. I thought all Ivy schools awarded financial aid based on family financial need. If so, why is there a need to match an Ivy package given that the packages should be similar if truly based on the family financial situation? Noel: That is a fair question requiring some background information: Many years ago the Ivy financial aid administrators met annually to compare financial aid packages prior to sending the award letters to students who were admitted by two or more Ivy schools. Their objective was to average differing packages such that an applicant and his/her family would have a very similar cost to attend each school. This practice ensured that students could choose a school for reasons other than financial considerations. But the federal government challenged the Ivy League for restraining trade by reducing the most generous package to an average. A consent decree was issued forbidding all Ivy schools from discussing their financial aid awards or means of calculation with each other. Years later, the wealthiest schools, in order to be more affordable to middle-class and upper middle-class families, were able to adopt family need formulas that did not include home equity and other financial elements that were included in the calculations utilized by other Ivy schools to determine family need. At times, the difference in a financial aid award differed by more than $25,000 per year. Last year, the average difference in awards Cornell matched was $11,000 per year with a low of $840 to a high of $26,000. We can understand the disadvantage of recruiting elite athletes or students in general if the difference in the cost of attending Cornell over a four-year period averaged $44,000 with a high of approximately $104,000! Troy: Does every Ivy school have the same opportunity to match financial aid packages within our League? Noel: Yes, in fact the Ivy League Executive Director has developed a protocol for this league-wide initiative. For the first time in many years, the Ivy schools with less per capita financial resources are able to compete equally for athletes and non-athletes. 18 SPIRIT! MAGAZINE 4 SPIRIT MAGAZINE SHOP NOW FOR YOUR CORNELL ATHLETICS APPAREL. PRIORITIES 2015