Following the first media appearance of the Penn State Coaches Caravan for James Franklin in Harrisburg Tuesday morning, a second guest also took questions for an equal amount of time.
The difference, of course, was that for Nittany Lion athletic director Sandy Barbour, this was her first time participating in what has become the fourth annual tour around the Mid-Atlantic.
Praising the opportunity the caravan can provide not just for Franklin and his efforts to raise the profile of the Penn State football program, but also for Penn State athletics as a whole, Barbour started there but offered a variety of different insights to other topics as well.
From freshman ineligibility to the financial challenges that continue to exist in the wake of the NCAA’s sanctions against the program now three years ago, let’s dive into some of the different news and notes items Barbour provided her thoughts on:
Freshmen ineligibility:
This one might have been the most intriguing response of her morning, not in its content so much as its authority. In this, still less than a full year on the job at Penn State, Barbour offered an adamant retort to the Big Ten’s current push to consider freshman ineligibility.
“I have a very strong take on it, as does President Barron,” she said, noting some of the conversations that must occur in intercollegiate athletics in terms of young athletes’ preparedness. But, she continued, “We have to ensure that our student athletes have the opportunity to be true students. I happen to think that Penn State has probably done as good of a job of that as anybody in the country. We're pretty good. Does that mean we can't be better? No. We can be better.
“Freshman ineligibility is not the answer, it doesn't address the issue. So I can't be in favor of something that I don't think addresses the issue and would disproportionately or unfairly impact whatever the percentage of those freshmen are that actually are prepared to come in as freshmen and manage both the academic and athletic demands.
“So we're not supportive of freshman ineligibility, but that's not to say that we don't recognize there are some concerns that need to be addressed. We are supportive, very much supportive, of a full-fledged, full-blown, no holds-barred, everything on the table discussion about how you address it.”
On alcohol sales at Penn State sporting events:
Following a trial run in which the music entertainer Garth Brooks had alcohol sales accompany his performances at the Bryce Jordan Center on consecutive weekends, Barbour was asked whether or not Penn State is considering implementing the same type of policy at athletic events.
Though her answer left some room for interpretation and wiggle, she suggested quite strongly that the option isn’t currently on the table.
“I think (the university has) made it very clear that that would not be an athletic department event. That's a university event, non-athletic event exception,” she said. “So I think that's not something that, broad-based alcohol sales, we're entertaining.”
Facility upgrades, and the ability to pay for them:
Following the proposals of big renovations coming to the Lasch Building this offseason, Barbour was asked exactly what will occur and, maybe as important, how the athletic department plans to handle the financial burden such a project will incur.
Point blank, Barbour said that the Lasch project is going to be completely fund-raised which, reading somewhat between the lines, coincides perfectly with just the type of fundraising push that accompanies the annual Coaches Caravan.
Without the bowl revenue, and with a robust program of more than 800 student-athletes and 31 sports teams - a number rivaling the biggest in the country - plus the impact of the sanctions, Barbour acknowledged the diligence necessary to both conserve resources while simultaneously exploring new revenue generating ideas.
“We have to work very hard to continue to look at opportunities to create more revenue. Be creative, maybe stretch ourselves, maybe do some things maybe in the past we hadn't been willing to do,” she said. “They have to fit our value structure of course, and really work to get ourselves healthy from a financial standpoint.
“The Lasch project is going to be completely fund-raised. So we're having to look to folks that care very deeply about this program and understand the importance of investing in the program. We're going to need to create revenue through some of our revenue generating opportunities, and then find new ones.”
Hockey in Beaver Stadium:
Keeping those revenue generating ideas in mind, Barbour was also asked about the possibility of hockey at Beaver Stadium. Without hesitation, she said the possibility is actively being considered.
“We've given it a lot of thought. One of our principles here is, I use the term creating value for the community, for our fan base, for our alumni, and I do believe very strongly that bringing additional events to Penn State, Beaver Stadium in particular, is something that would be of value to our community,” she said. “And then it also obviously has a place in our financial model as well. So we certainly are very actively looking at opportunities to better use our capital assets.”
The difference, of course, was that for Nittany Lion athletic director Sandy Barbour, this was her first time participating in what has become the fourth annual tour around the Mid-Atlantic.
Praising the opportunity the caravan can provide not just for Franklin and his efforts to raise the profile of the Penn State football program, but also for Penn State athletics as a whole, Barbour started there but offered a variety of different insights to other topics as well.
From freshman ineligibility to the financial challenges that continue to exist in the wake of the NCAA’s sanctions against the program now three years ago, let’s dive into some of the different news and notes items Barbour provided her thoughts on:
Freshmen ineligibility:
This one might have been the most intriguing response of her morning, not in its content so much as its authority. In this, still less than a full year on the job at Penn State, Barbour offered an adamant retort to the Big Ten’s current push to consider freshman ineligibility.
“I have a very strong take on it, as does President Barron,” she said, noting some of the conversations that must occur in intercollegiate athletics in terms of young athletes’ preparedness. But, she continued, “We have to ensure that our student athletes have the opportunity to be true students. I happen to think that Penn State has probably done as good of a job of that as anybody in the country. We're pretty good. Does that mean we can't be better? No. We can be better.
“Freshman ineligibility is not the answer, it doesn't address the issue. So I can't be in favor of something that I don't think addresses the issue and would disproportionately or unfairly impact whatever the percentage of those freshmen are that actually are prepared to come in as freshmen and manage both the academic and athletic demands.
“So we're not supportive of freshman ineligibility, but that's not to say that we don't recognize there are some concerns that need to be addressed. We are supportive, very much supportive, of a full-fledged, full-blown, no holds-barred, everything on the table discussion about how you address it.”
On alcohol sales at Penn State sporting events:
Following a trial run in which the music entertainer Garth Brooks had alcohol sales accompany his performances at the Bryce Jordan Center on consecutive weekends, Barbour was asked whether or not Penn State is considering implementing the same type of policy at athletic events.
Though her answer left some room for interpretation and wiggle, she suggested quite strongly that the option isn’t currently on the table.
“I think (the university has) made it very clear that that would not be an athletic department event. That's a university event, non-athletic event exception,” she said. “So I think that's not something that, broad-based alcohol sales, we're entertaining.”
Facility upgrades, and the ability to pay for them:
Following the proposals of big renovations coming to the Lasch Building this offseason, Barbour was asked exactly what will occur and, maybe as important, how the athletic department plans to handle the financial burden such a project will incur.
Point blank, Barbour said that the Lasch project is going to be completely fund-raised which, reading somewhat between the lines, coincides perfectly with just the type of fundraising push that accompanies the annual Coaches Caravan.
Without the bowl revenue, and with a robust program of more than 800 student-athletes and 31 sports teams - a number rivaling the biggest in the country - plus the impact of the sanctions, Barbour acknowledged the diligence necessary to both conserve resources while simultaneously exploring new revenue generating ideas.
“We have to work very hard to continue to look at opportunities to create more revenue. Be creative, maybe stretch ourselves, maybe do some things maybe in the past we hadn't been willing to do,” she said. “They have to fit our value structure of course, and really work to get ourselves healthy from a financial standpoint.
“The Lasch project is going to be completely fund-raised. So we're having to look to folks that care very deeply about this program and understand the importance of investing in the program. We're going to need to create revenue through some of our revenue generating opportunities, and then find new ones.”
Hockey in Beaver Stadium:
Keeping those revenue generating ideas in mind, Barbour was also asked about the possibility of hockey at Beaver Stadium. Without hesitation, she said the possibility is actively being considered.
“We've given it a lot of thought. One of our principles here is, I use the term creating value for the community, for our fan base, for our alumni, and I do believe very strongly that bringing additional events to Penn State, Beaver Stadium in particular, is something that would be of value to our community,” she said. “And then it also obviously has a place in our financial model as well. So we certainly are very actively looking at opportunities to better use our capital assets.”
