Deb Farris: WSU To Look into Bringing Football Back in Next 3-4 Years

[Aargh]

The statement was about looking into bringing football back. That's been one.

I didn't see anywhere in Bardo's statement anything about "a decision will be made".

[Signman]

For the past several years (decades) I have watched the leadership at my alma mater fail to admit that falling enrollment is a problem.
We had over 17,000 students in the fall of 1986 when football was dropped and the population of the six counties of South Central Kansas was around 595,000. Roughly 3% of the population were attending classes at WSU!

Now we have slightly less than 15,000 students and a population of over 725,000 in the same six counties. This is roughly 2% of the population. Or a 33% reduction in market share. While I don’t have the numbers at hand I know WSU enjoyed fairly steady growth commensurate with area population from 1964 to 1986. In addition I would guess that a higher % of the population is attending college now as opposed to 1986. Had we maintained this 3% number we would easily have over 20,000 students enrolled at WSU. Just using the above numbers and multiplying $20,000 annual expense per student times 5,000 missing students represents $100 million annual lost revenue to this community. The students and their dollars went somewhere.

KU, K-State, Emporia State, Pitt State, Ft Hays State, Washburn and nearly all of the JUCO’s and DII schools have grown in step with their respective population base and some have grown dramatically (Ft Hays & Johnson CCC). WSU is the notable exception. Why? In my opinion when football was dropped what little collegiate atmosphere WSU had nearly disappeared. There may and probably are other reasons for the decline: bad marketing, subsidies from Sedgwick County to Butler CCC for tuition, bad basketball and perhaps many others.

I believe football is the key to reviving a true collegiate atmosphere at Wichita State University. Indeed, the last several years have proven that football is the cash cow as far as conferences, realignment and television revenue are concerned. There may be other ways to develop this atmosphere and I hope Dr. Bardo has some ideas here. He has stated he wants more students living on campus and that will certainly help. But how do you get them to "want" to be there. How do you convince the parents that their children will receive a "collegiate experience" and "superb education". Our campus is dull this time of year, in fact many of us are just counting down the days till basketball as we are starved for our Shockers.

In the meantime our competition has a blizzard of PR, marketing and news about their respective institutions. Sports talk shows are buzzing about K-State, Bill Snyder, Charlie Weis, Butler vs Blinn, HS football, Big 12 football and this will continue for several more weeks. I walked in to a Dillons less than two miles from WSU and was bombarded with KU & K-state colors as the main motif for the store...no Shocker gear in sight. (I left).


When Dr. Beggs arrived on campus in the late 90’s one of the first questions I asked is what are we going to do about declining enrollment. His response was; “I’m not sure WSU should try to grow.” I found that alarming and said so.
I believe a strong and growing Wichita State is instrumental to this areas’ economic health. For too long our city and our school have been the poor step child of the state system. “Wichita State is like Denny’s, it’s not a destination but you end up there”. We can train dental assistants at WSU but not dentists. We can train paralegals in Wichita but not lawyers. We can train nurses in Wichita but not Doctors. Why is everything 2nd tier at WSU? This is the largest metro area anchored in this state but all of the top programs are reserved for the KC area. Our love affair with KU & K-State is not good for the City of Wichita.

I’m encouraged that Dr. Bardo might be the agent of change. Everything I have read allows me to believe that he will embrace growth and a mission that is Wichita first. Our choice is clear we can continue to slide in market share, we can continue to watch our alumni send their children to other schools (I'm guilty of this) and not see them return. Or we can choose a new dynamic vision for Wichita. Bravely Onward is a campaign that Fidelity Bank is running and it strikes a chord. I would change it slightly to Bravely Upward.

What is my vision for Wichita State! I turned 61 yesterday and before I turn 70 I would like to go to a football game featuring our Shockers in front of 50,000 screaming fans (half of whom are students) as we qualify for a BCS Bowl Playoff (probably a 16 team tournament by then). I would like to recommend in an unqualified manner that my grandson (hopefully grandchildren by then) become a Shocker(s) and receive an outstanding education while enjoying a true collegiate experience.

Aargh...you would then be right. "The future's so bright that I gotta wear shades".

Go Shockers

Wrote this over 10 years ago. I still think it is the right direction for this university and city to bring back football. I'm not even a big fan of football, mostly basketball and golf, but it is the key to collegiate atmosphere. Collegiate atmosphere would help WSU with their biggest problem of recruting and RETAINING students.

[Atxshoxfan]

If the football game day experience is managed correctly, I think it would increase enrollment. My memory of football at WSU in the 70's was much like the pregame activities of basketball. Not much.

During the most beautiful time of the year (fall), it is time for football, to include tailgates with bands, beer booths, carnival type games, corn hole, clocking baseball throws and other activities for all to enjoy.
Being a longhorn football fan and going to several of their games, it was the tailgates that enticed me to go to the game rather than watch on tv. It's like a huge party that attracts young and old. Plenty of activities for anyone and everyone that lasts for hours. Some even setup and opened their party tents the night before the game. TVs inside many tents with other games on. Then about 30 minutes before the game would come the marching band, cheerleaders and other sport athletes in parade fashion, signaling game time.

That's whats missing at WSU.

[BostonWu]

The only way an eventual new D1 program could be started is if it's primarily funded from two sources: 1) Wichita tax payers and 2) Koch serves as the sugar daddy. I can't envision either scenario playing out.

[WstateU]

The only way an eventual new D1 program could be started is if it's primarily funded from two sources: 1) Wichita tax payers and 2) Koch serves as the sugar daddy. I can't envision either scenario playing out.

WSU needs a 'McPherson College' type donation to start football. It doesn't have to only be a combination of 1 and 2... need a 3 and more...

McPherson College Exceeds Double Match Challenge - Establishing A Future $1,500,000,000 Endowment - Largest in U.S. For A Small Liberal Arts College - McPherson College

[SHOCKvalue]

Jerk move, bumping this thread, at this time.

[Atxshoxfan]

Jerk move, bumping this thread, at this time.

Get used to it. Its an issue that comes up every few years, and will continue until football comes back or college football is banned.

[BostonWu]

WSU needs a 'McPherson College' type donation to start football. It doesn't have to only be a combination of 1 and 2... need a 3 and more...

McPherson College Exceeds Double Match Challenge - Establishing A Future $1,500,000,000 Endowment - Largest in U.S. For A Small Liberal Arts College - McPherson College

Okay. You have to have a mega donor to even start the conversation. Until that happens this notion is a non-starter.

[shoxlax]

Like I said Elvis ain’t comin back and neither is football.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Bringing football back at WSU is a pipe dream and will never happen. Time to move on from this. Maybe twenty years ago it was worthy of a discussion but with the way college sports and football in particular are moving, it just will never make financially feasible sense.