UND's DI review committee

[The Sicatoka]

A press release from Dr. Kupchella's office:

TASK FORCE NAMED TO STUDY UND'S NCAA CLASSIFICATION

As called for in the University's new strategic plan, a task force has been named to study optimal NCAA classification positioning for UND. The charge to the task force includes

(1) becoming knowledgeable and helping UND stakeholders become knowledgeable of the pros and cons of UND's current classification and the alternatives;

(2) designing, conducting and interpreting a survey of all stakeholders/campus and community support for UND's current and alternative classification;

(3) providing an analysis of what has been learned from the first two steps; and

(4) recommending a course of action for UND for the near-term and/or longer-term future.

Dr. Robert Boyd, Vice President for Student & Outreach Services, will chair the task force, which includes UND students, faculty members, administrators, and community members.

The membership includes:

Dyana Beaton, President, Sioux Boosters

Alice Brekke, Budget Director

Maria Bruggeman, Head Women's Volleyball Coach

Tom Buning, Athletic Director

Danny Gagner, Student-Athlete

Bobby Haskins, Student Body President

Dave Hakstol, Head Men's Hockey Coach

Phil Harmeson, Senior Associate to the President/Faculty Athletics Representative

Ashley Haugen, Student Government (invited)

Sue Jeno, Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy/Chair, University Senate

Paul LeBel, Dean, School of Law

Don Kojich, Executive Associate Vice President, University Relations

Dale Lennon, Head Football Coach

Shannon Murphy, Student-Athlete (invited)

Tim O'Keefe, Executive Vice President, UND Alumni Association & Foundation

Judi Paukert, Community Relations Manager, Xcel Energy

Gene Roebuck, Head Women's Basketball Coach

Ken Vein, President, Letterwinners Association

Additional senior faculty are yet to be named to the task force.

[SiouxMD]

A press release from Dr. Kupchella's office:

All listed members of the Task Force have obvious ties to UND. The only "outsider" I see is Judi Paukert from Xcel Energy. Anyone know more about her?

[The Sicatoka]

All listed members of the Task Force have obvious ties to UND. The only "outsider" I see is Judi Paukert from Xcel Energy. Anyone know more about her?

I don't think "who" is as important as "what" in this case. She's probably there to represent the interests of the Greater GF business community.

[82SiouxGuy]

I believe that Judi is a past chair of the Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce and still sits on the Executive Committee of the combined Chamber. Also, Xcel is a big supporter of UND Athletics. If UND decides to go DI it is going to take a whole lot of money so it is important to keep the business community involved.

[dakotadan]

Nothing new in this Herald article.

[bisonguy]

Nothing new in this Herald article.

I wouldn't be too sure about this quote-

Harmeson said that, if UND went that route, the school certainly would be able to compete for titles in hockey, swimming and women's basketball.

IMO- After watching the NDSU/TCU game last year, women's BB for NDSU, and potentially UND, have a LONG way to go before competing for NC's at the DI level.

[bincitysioux]

IMO- After watching the NDSU/TCU game last year, women's BB for NDSU, and potentially UND, have a LONG way to go before competing for NC's at the DI level.

Just said titles, not National Championships. Could he be referring to conference titles? NDSU fans are quick to point out that conference championships in DI mean alot more than National Championships in DII.

[SiouxMD]

Nothing new in this Herald article.

Three quotes...

1) "The NCAA also allows schools to compete in Division I-AA in football, a notch lower than big-time college football (Division I-A) but makes them take all other sports to full Division I."

2) ""But we'd only be participating in the other sports," Harmeson said."

3) "Asked if a consultant would be brought on to help UND study the move, Boyd said: "That's still to be decided.""

IF UND was serious about DI/DI-AA it would have read...

1) The NCAA also allows schools to compete in Division I-AA in football, a notch lower than big-time college football (Division I-A) but makes them take and all other sports to in full Division I.

2) ""But we'd only be participating in the other sports," It would take time to become competitive in the other sports," Harmeson said."

3) "Asked if a consultant would be brought on to help UND study the move, Boyd said: "The best in the business..."

We are staying in DII...bring on the Lakers.

Disappointing article...

Merry Christmas!

[SiouxMD]

SiouxMD: Your first "quote" isn't a quote of any UND official. It's the writings of David Dodds, Herald Staff reporter.

I realize that...I was quoting the Herald...hence the " " versus "" "".

IMO...the overall feel of the article was negative. Perhaps by fault of David Dodds, UND spokepersons or just my grumpy state of mind.

Merry Christmas!

[Cratter]

I feel a move to Division I is inevitable. I would say less than five years.

[dlsiouxfan]

UND needs to go Division I and the sooner the better. The longer we wait we are hurting ourselves and our teams ability to be competitive when we do go. Football would be competitive right away if we go now but if we wait NDSU with increased scholarships will eventually overtake them in the talent department. This is no knock on the program or the coaching staff but the fact is for out of state kids the difference between full ride and a partial ride at two universities they no prior emotional attachment to makes a big difference. Plus restoring the rivalry and starting new ones (Montana, Montana State) will no doubt help attendance in all of the sports. The sport most hurt would be women's basketball because they would no longer be able to win national titles, but I think if given time and appropriate resources UND could be a highly competitive team. Another team that would most likely benefit immediately would be the men's basketball team, the division I label seems to mean a lot more to male athletes than female and UND being division II,in my opinion, is crippling our basketball recruiting efforts. Case in point look at the success level just a few years ago compared with today and recent recruiting classes have been rather lackluster. Other sports would do also do well swimming and diving almost compete exclusively at a division I level already and women's soccer would compete nationally as well. As for sports like volleyball and softball well we can just as easily be a bad division I team as we can be bad division II teams, we'll just be losing to more recognized teams. Come to think if I believe this last point must have been motivation for NDSU and SDSU's division I moves

[bincitysioux]

I have read on another board that this review committe is stacked with members who oppose a move to DI. Is this true?

[SiouxMD]

I have read on another board that this review committe is stacked with members who oppose a move to DI. Is this true?

I am not sure I would believe anything from that "other" board...

Merry Christmas!

[star2city]

The Forum had another editorial on UND and DI today - seems they are intent on UND validating NDSU's decision - as well as continually smearing of UND's reputation.

It’s difficult to know if the University of North Dakota was dragged kicking and screaming onto the path toward Division I athletic status. .. There might have been a dignified level of kicking and screaming in the past (Kupchella himself was not a fan of moving to Division I sports), but even that will be muted by last week’s news.

UND alumni and other supporters have watched with some measure of envy the Division I success in Fargo. Some rabid Sioux fans (or better described as anti-Bison “fans”) seem more than happy to keep UND in the lesser sports classification. But the Bison move has demonstrated to more thoughtful Sioux alumni, coaches, students and administrators that UND is being left behind.

So I guess the consultants that said NDSU must have a conference lined up prior to their move must be anti-bison, as well as Gene Taylor himself who said that he should be fired if he didn't have a conference by 2004-5. If the Forum was really interested in helping NDSU's cause, they would editorialize against all the garbage and Sioux-hate on Bisonville.com, which makes NDSU look like of collection of sorry individuals.

[dakotadan]

I am not sure I would believe anything from that "other" board...

You have to remember. There are many people on that other board who have personally spent years studying UND's athletic department and financial books and records. They know for a fact that UND has maxed out it's fund-raising potential, and will never be able to raise enough $$$$ for a future DI move. Apparently all of those Doctors, Lawyers, and Pilots that graduate from UND don't make as much money as all of the farmers that graduate from NDSU.

[star2city]

A press release from Dr. Kupchella's office:

Not intending to pry, but does this mean Maria stays at UND rather than moving to Flagstaff?

[The Sicatoka]

I have read on another board that this review committe is stacked with members who oppose a move to DI. Is this true?

Who knows which way facts and figures will sway people. What I see is this:

Dale Lennon, Head Football Coach and Danny Gagner, Student-Athlete.

The FB coach who's been known to favor DI-AA and his star safety.

Dave Hakstol, Head Men's Hockey Coach

A guy who already is a DI coach.

Gene Roebuck, Head Women's Basketball Coach

A guy who's already said he'd play a particular DI WBB school.

What sport did Ken Vein, President, Letterwinners Association, play? (I don't know.)

Folks will see what they want to see in anything. What I hope is these folks (the total list) can take facts and information and come to objective decisions.

[PCM]

Gene Roebuck, Head Women's Basketball Coach

A guy who's already said he'd play a particular DI WBB school.

But he's also publicly stated that he's against UND moving to DI.

[UND92,96]

But he's also publicly stated that he's against UND moving to DI.

Of all the UND coaches, Roebuck would seem to have the most to gain by staying dII. With the talent he's assembled, he's looking at potentially multiple national championships over the next few years if UND doesn't move to dI. Not that UND wouldn't be competitive as a dI mid-major, but by the time we'd become tournament eligible, he'd be past retirement age. Even though it's not considered very "p.c." to hire a man to coach a women's basketball team in this day and age, I suspect his .850 winning % would have made it easy to have gotten a good dI job if that had been his goal.

[bincitysioux]

Who knows which way facts and figures will sway people. What I see is this:

Dave Hakstol, Head Men's Hockey Coach

A guy who already is a DI coach.

Folks will see what they want to see in anything. What I hope is these folks (the total list) can take facts and information and come to objective decisions.

Would being DI in all sports possibly help recruiting for the hockey program? If UND were more visible in other sports besides hockey, like Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio St, etc. it could sway the decision of a highly touted recruit. On the other hand, could Hakstol be thinking that a move up by the other sports would possibly put on fiscal drain on hockey and threaten the program's finances, making him against it?

[UND Fan]

Would being DI in all sports possibly help recruiting for the hockey program? If UND were more visible in other sports besides hockey, like Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio St, etc. it could sway the decision of a highly touted recruit. On the other hand, could Hakstol be thinking that a move up by the other sports would possibly put on fiscal drain on hockey and threaten the program's finances, making him against it?

I think the opposite is more likely the case. A lot of very talented hockey players prefer a small school where hockey is obviously the No. 1 sport on campus. For the most part, I think our NCAA division is a non-issue for potential recruits.

Edited December 13, 2005 by UND Fan

[D1sioux]

I think the opposite is more likely the case. A lot of very talented hockey players prefer a small school where hockey is obviously the No. 1 sport on campus. For the most part, I think our NCAA division is a non-issue for potential recruits.

I think your wrong!! Hockey does not want the rest of the school to go D1, they feel it will drain all of their resources to fund the move!!!

[roper1313]

You have to remember. There are many people on that other board who have personally spent years studying UND's athletic department and financial books and records. They know for a fact that UND has maxed out it's fund-raising potential, and will never be able to raise enough $$$$ for a future DI move. Apparently all of those Doctors, Lawyers, and Pilots that graduate from UND don't make as much money as all of the farmers that graduate from NDSU.

Compare Team Makers to Fighting Sioux Club and the answer must be that no all those doctor's, lawers and Piolts (lots living on unemployment right now ) do not make more that the hick farmers that graduate from NDSU.

UND's biggest fundraisng problem IMO is that Grand Forks does not nearly the corporate backing that Fargo has. Take a look at how many fargo companies have suites at the REA. Also, if the students in the law and med schools did not go to undergrad at UND they might not become big donors to the school. They had time to cheer for their school at undergrad and formed ties to that athletic department, and not UND. Sure they love UND, but they might be more inclined to give $$$ to the athletic department they gaduated undergrad from, while giving $$$ to the med or law school at UND.

If UND goes DI, which I hope they do, UND alumni, and the GF business community are going to have to open their pocketbooks in a big-time way.

[UND92,96]

Compare Team Makers to Fighting Sioux Club and the answer must be that no all those doctor's, lawers and Piolts (lots living on unemployment right now ) do not make more that the hick farmers that graduate from NDSU.

UND's biggest fundraisng problem IMO is that Grand Forks does not nearly the corporate backing that Fargo has. Take a look at how many fargo companies have suites at the REA. Also, if the students in the law and med schools did not go to undergrad at UND they might not become big donors to the school. They had time to cheer for their school at undergrad and formed ties to that athletic department, and not UND. Sure they love UND, but they might be more inclined to give $$$ to the athletic department they gaduated undergrad from, while giving $$$ to the med or law school at UND.

If UND goes DI, which I hope they do, UND alumni, and the GF business community are going to have to open their pocketbooks in a big-time way.

I'm just curious, how much did Team Makers raise last year?

[IowaBison]

$1.4 million.

We'll raise $1.7 million next year. Having success in football and basketball certainly helps.