The Roadrunners Need You Now More Than Ever

I wanted to share with you some of the significant accomplishments and serious concerns that the Roadrunner Athletic Program has experienced since our transition to NCAA Division I. It is a classic story of good news and bad news.

I want to focus on the good news first. Most important is to sincerely thank you for being a part of advancing the university’s goals. Shortly after we started this process, nearly four years ago, the NCAA declared a moratorium on institutions seeking Division I status and passed more stringent rules. The NCAA’s goal is to limit the number of NCAA Division I institutions and close the door on institutions seeking upward mobility. The NCAA is currently trying to change the $15,000 Division I application fee to $1 million.

Nevertheless, we have overcome many obstacles and will be completing our final year of NCAA Division I reclassification this June. We are very proud of the hard work and effort that has gone into elevating the status of the University, its athletic program, and this region. In terms of academic excellence, for example, this past year we were able to accomplish the following: Seven teams, previously under the required NCAA APR of 925, now have exceeded the required 925. Five of the teams, including Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Men’s Golf, Men’s Soccer and Women’s Water Polo, stand at the highest score of 1000 (Men’s Wrestling is at 984 and Women’s Soccer at 963). In addition, 5 of our teams have an average GPA above a 3.0 as of the end of Winter Quarter and no team is below a 2.5.

The move to Division I has brought an even higher caliber of student-athlete. The quality of competition, the development of new facilities such as Hardt Field and the Recreation Center and the addition of baseball have all improved the image and substance of our University.

The bad news is that the budget crisis, particularly as it impacts CSUB’s Athletics Program, has been significant. Not only has it reduced staffing and state support, it has also increased our scholarship fees this year by 30%, which amounts to more than $250,000 in additional and unexpected expenses. Cumulatively, it also marks the third consecutive year of state budget reductions. Our ability to turn this around will depend upon our ability to encourage community volunteers to help us and to make significant progress in growing our donor base. Without considerable growth and support in both of these areas, it will have a profound effect on our future.

One can easily see that we need growth and not reductions in support to be able to sustain the 19 Division I sports we currently offer. While the average donation has grown over the last few years, the number of donors has fallen. We really need your help, and there are many ways that you can assist us. For example, if each of our current donors recruited just one new donor, we could double our donor base. It is that simple, and you could make that happen.

There are many ways to be involved. Our special events require volunteers, our teams need fan support and sponsorships are an effective way to promote any business while supporting the University. In order to grow our support, we ask that you encourage a friend to become involved.

We have a small staff that is committed to working hard to make this a successful NCAA Division I university. We have a short window, less than a year, to get this done. The time to act is now! Together we can give our deserving student-athletes the best chance to succeed in the classroom and in the arena of competition by expanding our donor base and providing a greater understanding of the importance of your donations. These contributions fund scholarships, the lifeblood of our sports program and result in educational opportunities for our student-athletes. This is so important. It is critical to our success, and yes, even our survival. The future of YOUR CSUB sports program will ultimately be decided by what each of us does to make it strong.

You can make a difference by a simple click of your mouse on our website. Send this letter and the link to five friends and ask for a scholarship donation to the Roadrunner Club or other avenues of support. We really need your help.