V. Components of the Multi-Year Plan
     D. Building a Distinctive Land-Grant-AAU Institution           $15.0M

In this paper we have set forth several plans and directions which could serve to make this Campus a model Land Grant-Research University of the 21st Century. Through planning, through the excellence of its faculty, staff and students, through the national and international reputation which this Campus enjoys, we are poised, willing and able to make the leap to a new level. This Strategic Action Plan takes several important steps through reallocation, restructuring and redesign of all parts of the Campus according to a new template.

We are firmly of the opinion that an additional investment will be needed if we are to be the premier public Land Grant-Research University in New England. Earlier we described--in Major Initiatives, Part (h), the areas of investment necessary. We have begun the journey through all the major initiatives in (a) through (h). But we need investment in new faculty in critical areas important for knowledge and its applications, in new facilities, laboratories and equipment, in the Library and Information Technology. Centers of excellence must be defined which build on existing strength and which have great potential for the future of the Commonwealth. An example is the Massachusetts Remote Sensing Instrumentation Laboratories (MIRSL).

A rough division of an investment of $15M would be as follows:

Library and Information Technology $4.0M
Faculty lines in key areas $3.0M
Selected Disciplines $3.0M
Facilities $5.0M

If a Compact with the Commonwealth could be formed to meet these goals, the results would pay dividends as rich in the next century as the Land-Grant Universities have this century.

The role of Intercollegiate Athletics in the future evolution of a Land Grant-AAU Institution is also important. Most such institutions have highly visible programs, and it is clear that our current program already plays an important role in generating enthusiasm, pride and visibility. Indeed, Athletic teams are, in the American culture, public representatives of their universities and, like it or not, colleges and universities are often judged--too superficially--by the quality of their teams. Each team should be a reflection as perfect as possible of the ideals and values of the University it represents. So wrote John Hannah in 1963. It is certainly true that athletics often provide the public face of the University, and sometimes they are the sole source of the culture and values of the institution for large segments of the public. As we complete reviews of all the major activities in the University through our strategic planning, it is fitting that Intercollegiate Athletics should also develop a plan for the future, with the aim of continuing to build a model program.

This review will, in large part, be accomplished by the NCAA certification process to be completed in Fall 96, by a Committee broadly constituted of faculty, staff, students, student- athletes, coaches, administrators, alumni/ae, and Trustees. The review covers areas of Academic Integrity, Governance, Gender and Minority Equity, and Fiscal Integrity. The Strategic Thinking document proposed that perhaps the time was propitious for a general review by a Committee called UMARC (The University of Massachusetts Athletic Review Committee). The present NCAA Certification Committee may therefore continue to explore other issues, e.g., the role of Intercollegiate Athletics, the student as athlete, the student-athlete as individual within intercollegiate athletics, and national issues and linkages. We need to consider what are the characteristics of a program nationally recognized for its achievements on the field and in the classroom. What are the necessary checks and balances to assure integrity in the recruitment and retention of student athletes? The recent publicity over grades of student athletes revealed a great deal of confusion both within the University and externally over our goals in athletics. Students with athletic talent are already placed under heavy pressure in K-12 through the emphasis on sports. In some cases these pressures may prevent the students from paying sufficient attention to academic activities. This raises the issue of the interplay between our goals in recruitment and in final graduation. The total task confronting UMARC is to create a template for Athletics and the University and guarantee continued programmatic integrity in the face of increased pressures on all participants. The Committee must reevaluate, reaffirm and focus upon the real contributions that athletics can make to the institutions integrated endeavors. Our student athletes must be part of the multi-dimensional excellence of the University.

There are also questions to be addressed in a constrained financial environment on the appropriate array of sports and the levels, whether local, regional or national, at which we should compete. Advancing gender equity is a central goal for the program. Difficult questions will arise over whether further improvements will come from additional womens sports or from curtailing squad sizes in mens sports, recognizing that the latter does little to create genuine new opportunities for women.

An immediate issue here is the Universitys position on Division IA Football. We have already formed a Task Force to study all aspects of moving in such a direction, which raises financial, gender equity, philosophical and practical implications. In the past many institutions have used IA Football as a platform to leap into bigger leagues, both athletically and academically. Although harder to do today than 30 years ago, it is still possible. But we should be under no illusion that the undertaking is a long range one. The benefits academically may not materialize for ten or fifteen years. It would seem essential, therefore, that if funds of $60 million or so can be found to invest in the necessary physical infrastructure to make the vision of IA Football a reality, it must almost be a quid pro quo that a comparable investment be made in academic facilities at the same time, in a Life Sciences Building or state-of-the-art classrooms. In todays environment this direct link between athletic and academic prowess needs to be visible as we begin the journey.

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