SCSU Faithful Adjusting to News of No More Football

ST. CLOUD -- The news that St. Cloud State University is eliminating the football program, along with men's and women's golf, continues to be the talk of the town.

Matt Andrew is the Vice President of University Advancement. His office sent out 80,000 emails to alumni and friends on Tuesday afternoon announcing the news.

He says they've received about 50 responses back so far with a range of reactions.

We've had some folks that are reasonably close to our athletics program at the university who provided very sort of reasoned responses.  They are highly aware of the court order that is requiring the university to bring its programs into compliance and they also understand the financial challenges the university faces.

Andrew says they have also received email responses of disappointment, sadness, and anger.

Now that football will no longer be a sport on campus at St. Cloud State University, how might that impact fundraising at the school. Andrew says it is too soon to tell but historically giving to the athletics department has always been minimal at SCSU.

In the last fiscal year our foundation raised more money than it ever has in its history, we raised $10.6 million, of that approximately $500,000 was raised for athletics.

Andrew says alumni typically give more to scholarships and academic programs. As for the remaining sports teams, coaches and athletes Andrew says the community needs to rally around them.

He says SCSU athletes graduate at a rate of 30 points higher than the general population.

And, with no football team at St. Cloud State University what will become of homecoming next fall? Andrew says homecoming will absolutely be back next year.

It's a community and alumni engagement endeavor that the university is fully committed to, and a cornerstone of that engagement, and so it will evolve, more than likely the way it is moving hockey will become the anchor sporting event during that weekend.

Andrew says there is much more to homecoming weekend than just sports.

St. Cloud State University did not host a homecoming weekend from 2011 through 2017, but it was brought back in 2018 to celebrate the school's 150th anniversary.