Wall Street Journal article on public university spending in the US. Behind paywall. Lead story in online edition at moment. Key points:
• “Many university officials struggled to understand their own budgets and simply increased spending every year. Trustees demanded little accountability and often rubber-stamped what came before them. And schools inconsistently disclose what they spend, making it nearly impossible for the public to review how their tuition and tax dollars are being used.”
• Article slams overall spending at Penn State and Kentucky and athletics subsidies at UConn. Rutgers isn’t mentioned. Idaho comes out looking super.
• Well researched article with tons of data, especially compared to the articles on sports-oriented websites such as ESPN and The Athletic. Reporters attended Columbia, Columbia, and Stanford.
At Rutgers, the 2023-2024 budget goes from $5.1 billion to $5.4 billion. Athletics spending blasts from $136 million to $159 million, though the latest budget detail hasn’t been published so the athletics comparison might be imperfect. If Rutgers spends $159 million on athletics this year, Rutgers could repeat as the highest deficit in public university sports.
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