RENO, Nev. — Due to state budget cuts, the University of Nevada will reduce its funding for scholarships and operational costs for the Wolf Pack skiing team this year and will not fund the program after 2009-10, Director of Athletics Cary Groth announced Tuesday.
Nevada will continue to fund tuition waivers for skiing student-athletes and personnel costs for the coaching staff for the 2009-10 season, but operational costs will be covered by donors or other sources of funding.
“We are all facing challenging economic times, and we have tried to make cuts that will have a minimal impact on the student-athlete experience. We didn’t want to cut student-athletes’ opportunities in sports, but we have had very tough choices to make and will not be able to fund the program after the 2009-10 season," Groth said.
“I have met with our ski staff and boosters, and we are discussing multiple alternatives of continuing our ski tradition. Possibilities include being funded by donors or becoming a club sport.”
The University of Nevada sustained a 15 percent reduction in state funding totaling $33 million for each of the next two years. In addition to the cuts in the funding for skiing, the athletics department has made general reductions in scholarships, reduced all of its sport and operational budgets, trimmed support services like printing and mailing and made personnel cuts such as freezing and eliminating open positions.
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