IRVINE, Calif. — UC Irvine Intercollegiate Athletics, faced with cost-cutting measures due to the state economic crisis, is discontinuing several of its sports programs, effective Aug. 1.

The five affected sports are men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s rowing, and sailing.

These moves reduce the number of intercollegiate sports sponsored at UCI to 18 (nine men’s and nine women’s), which ranks in the upper half of the Big West Conference. With additional reductions to be made in the department’s operating expenses, the total budget impact will be up to $1 million.

“These were extremely difficult decisions that unfortunately had to be made due to the financial crisis that is affecting our state and the UC system,” UCI Athletic Director Mike Izzi said. “I was hoping to avoid discontinuing any of our sports programs, but the Intercollegiate Athletics Department is not immune to the cuts that are occurring in the state and on our campus.

“The impact this has on these coaches and student-athletes is something that none of us wishes to see, but reality is that this type of move is unavoidable with the financial challenges that we face,” he added.

UCI will honor all scholarships as agreed to for the 2009-10 academic year for the student-athletes in these sports wishing to continue their studies at the University. The Athletics Department staff will provide assistance with the transfer process for student-athletes wishing to continue their competitive careers at other universities.

About UC Irvine Intercollegiate Athletics: UC Irvine has won 26 national championships and 65 conference titles. UCI had 10 teams ranked in the nation’s top 50 in 2008-09, including men’s volleyball, which won its second NCAA championship in the past three years. UCI has finished in the top five of the NCAA I-AAA Directors’ Cup (94 non-football schools) each of the past three years. In 2008-09, UCI had 15 All-Americans, 73 all-conference honorees and 68 selections to academic all-conference teams. The university honored 184 Big West Scholar-Athletes, bringing UCI’s total to 3,266 since 1983.

Tabby Soignier of the (Monroe, La.) News Star files this report on the budget challenges the University of Louisiana-Monroe athletic department faces due to the current economic recession.

ULM athletic director Bobby Staub appreciates operating a budget much like his coaches enjoy their players – lean with little to no waste to get in the way.

When Staub took the position five years ago, he understood the limitations of a mid-major university when it came to finances.

It did not take long after for he and his administration to begin to feel the effects of the economic challenges that started to unravel.

Five years later as the nation floats amid the hardest hits of the recession, it seems that the mid-major universities have found an advantage over other athletic programs.

Read the full story.

Michelle Gardner of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reports on the creative steps athletic directors of schools within the California State University system are taking to reduce travel costs.

Cal State San Bernardino athletic director Kevin Hatcher has a dilemma.

His volleyball team planned on traveling to Hawaii in August for four matches to begin the season. However, the uncertain economy and impending state budget cuts have Cal State, and all other institutions, taking a second look at the expenditures throughout their athletic departments.

The Coyotes got a good deal with the host school paying for ground transportation, lodging and one meal a day. Thus, Cal State was responsible for air fare and remaining meals.

In an effort to ease the strain on the school’s athletic budget, the volleyball team is raising funds to offset the costs.

That isn’t the problem.

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USF’s athletic department has trimmed its budget for the 2009-10 school year by 0.8 percent, with $32.3 million projected to be spent on the school’s 17 teams and support staff.

USF released its new budget Tuesday, and the biggest cuts are in team travel, which is due for an 8 percent cut, and in administrative expenses, with a 19 percent drop in costs related to “supplies/dues/copy/equipment.

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Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle reports on Texas A&M’s decision to remove 17 positions from the school’s athletic department.

COLLEGE STATION — The Texas A&M athletic department slashed 17 jobs on Thursday in a budget-crunching move.

“The cuts came across the entire spectrum of the department,” Aggies athletic director Bill Byrne said. “This difficult decision came after an exhaustive review of the entire program, and with great reluctance.”

Billy Pickard, set to enter his 45th season with A&M football, declined comment night after a department source said that Pickard had been told to retire as part of the measure. Pickard, 75, the department’s facilities director, had served legendary football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant as a student trainer in the mid-1950s at A&M.

Dave South, longtime “Voice of the Aggies,” also told friends and associates in an email that he’ll focus on his broadcasting duties. South is registered on the A&M Web site as the associate athletic director for sponsorship and broadcasting.

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Due to a 20% decrease in fundraising, the University of Central Florida is forced to make budget cuts within the schools athletic department. Here is a report filed by Iliana Limón of the Orlando Sentinel.

The UCF Athletics Association’s fundraising has dropped 20 percent from last year, prompting the school to make significant budget cuts.

UCF also is anticipating a 4 percent decline in total football revenue, which includes money generated by season and single-game ticket sales. UCF collected $5.9 million in football revenue during the 2008 season and is bracing to lose $236,000 of that revenue during the 2009 campaign.

Last year, football revenue accounted for about one-third of UCF’s total athletics revenue.

UCF is one of many schools throughout the country forced to re-evaluate all athletics expenses during the current economic downturn. The athletics staff will present a much leaner 2009-10 athletics budget to the UCFAA board of directors next week for its approval.

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