“It’s a pretty steep hill to climb, but we’re starting to gain a really good sense of what Division I would look like for us. We’ve already made progress.” – Phil Esten, St. Thomas AD
This week, at the NCAA convention, St. Thomas will learn how or even whether the NCAA rules will be changed to allow their direct move from D-III to D-I. Phil Esten said St. Thomas already is laying some groundwork. It is examining best-practice models at other Division I schools, and athletic department leaders are studying the changes they will have to make to conform to D-I standards in areas such as compliance, marketing and facilities.
Others who have made the move are telling Esten to be prepared for a significant budget increase from the start. When Gene Taylor was at North Dakota State he says the athletic budget was about $5 million when he arrived in 2001. It rose to about $9 million in 2004-05, the school’s first year in Division I, and reached $15 million within four years.
Today, Taylor said, that number stands at about $25 million. While St. Thomas does not disclose its athletic budget, it reported total athletic expenses of $4.86 million in its 2017-18 Equity in Athletics Data Analysis report.
“The financial investment is huge,” Taylor said.“That’s why you have to have everybody on board, from the president to the faculty to the campus to the community. Because if you don’t, it gets difficult.”
Taylor estimated St. Thomas’ athletic budget would have to rise to about $10 million “pretty quickly.” At NDSU, he said the additional money came from a variety of sources.
The university pitched in a couple million dollars. Money from student fees rose from the $250,000-$300,000 range to more than a million dollars, and changes were made to the sponsorship program.
In addition to the costs, institutions that are reclassifying must navigate a long list of NCAA protocols. Taylor recalled doing reams of required paperwork, such as strategic plans and reports on how the school would comply with Title IX, academic eligibility and other issues. Taylor said St. Thomas has one critical ingredient for a smooth transition already in place: an invitation to join the Summit League. The Bison were without a conference affiliation for two years until the Summit League welcomed them in 2007.
Taylor has told Esten to call him any time for advice. Having completed one reclassification marathon, though, he is happy to be giving encouragement from the sidelines.
“I tell people all the time, it was the best experience I’ve ever had,” Taylor said, laughing. “But I would never do it again.”