Greetings, Lion fans, and while the Texas heat has certainly turned up to 11, and the sports season is kind of in a lull right now, it’s a perfect time to take stock of where the Lion athletic program is , where they’re headed, and where they’ve been.
It’s no secret how the staff here at The Wire felt about the move initially. If you’ve listened to the Call The Roll podcast, Brian and I have made ourselves pretty clear. The announcement was rushed and botched. The Lion athletic programs were underfunded, understaffed, and lacked direction due to not having a permanent athletic director. Interim AD Eric Coleman was working 25 hours a day, eight days a week, trying to keep up. Compared to other schools in the Southland Conference, the Lions woefully were lacking the personnel and positions needed in order to be successful. It took a mid winter Call the Roll podcast that laid everything out, and called to account as to who we felt was responsible. It was not an easy thing to do, but it was nescessary in order to get the word out, and call attention to what was happening.
Did it have it’s desired effect? We don’t know, but we do know this: the chaos and instability that were once prevalent in the athletic department have given way to order, focus, and progress. The hiring of AD Jim Curry, of head football coach Clint Dolezel, volleyball coach Joe Morales, and women’s basketball coach Valarie King have had a tremendous impact on things. We’ve spoken on Jim Curry, and how he has fully engaged with alumni, students, and faculty, seeking out new and different ideas, and taking constant notes on those interactions. Both men’s and women’s basketball recruit signings are starting to pop up as well as volleyball. Sports camps are taking place. Things are starting to happen, and in a good way.
The support staff positions that were lacking are beginning to be filled, and a Division 1 worthy department is beginning to take shape. Positions involving multimedia, strength and conditioning, nutrition, video production , and the like that fans may never see or hear of, but are vital to the overall success of the program, and to the gameday experience for everyone.
What makes all this happen? Money. Texas A&M-Commerce currently has a $22 million dollar endowment, which is on the lower end of the lowest funded Division 1 conference in the country. We’ve already seen some of the effects. Season ticket prices have risen significantly (Yet they’re still on the cheap end of the spectrum compared to similar schools.).
What everything comes down to is this: The Lions are a Division 1 school now, as quite a few alumni and supporters have wanted. That D1 tag, however, comes at a cost. Students, faculty, administration, alumni, parents, everyone is going to be needed. The Lion Champions Fund and Jeff Cleveland is the place to go and the person to see. No gift is too small, and it doesn’ t have to be a recurring gift, Anything and everything helps.
It’s time, Lion fans.
The Lion Wire 
The twenty-two million dollar endowment is interesting if for no other reason than the figure has been listed on the University’s Wikipedia site now for possibly four or five years. Not only is that figure abysmal by comparative standards with other similarly situated institutions, but the twenty-two million dollar endowment remains unchanged now for several years. If that is the correct figure, something seems amiss. If it is not the correct figure, the University should know that and provide the correct figure accordingly. Perception is everything right or wrong. But a stationary University endowment figure for several years standing is a little disconcerting to say the least.
Hi Ted, I totally agree, as do most people. They won’t even release the enrollment numbers because of the decline of nearly 14,000 back in 2015 to about 10,500 today.
It also appears that the University’s admission standards have been reduced in a misdirected effort to increase enrollment. All one has to do is research the last time the University lowered admission standards in the 1970’s to understand that doing so only diminishes the University’s reputation and prestige in the eyes of almost every constituency. TAMUC is still trying to restore its reputation from the 1970’s and now the administration thinks that lowering admission standards will produce the desired results, increased enrollment. It will not and even if it did, admitting those who, otherwise would not be admitted is not a step forward. When Dr. Austin raised admission standards in the 1980’s, guess what, enrollment increased. No one wants to be a part of a diminishing entity. And, institutional reputation is paramount with most college bound individuals for obvious reasons. One step forward, two steps backward. That is not a path to success!