App Family,
Today we announced an extremely difficult decision to discontinue three of our intercollegiate varsity sports – men's soccer, men's tennis and men's indoor track & field – as well as other aggressive cost-cutting measures.
We take these measures with heavy hearts. After a detailed review and in consultation with Chancellor Everts and the Board of Trustees, we determined that these actions are necessary to weather the current financial challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to position App State Athletics for long-term sustainability.
Our mission is to guide and support our student-athletes in their quest for excellence academically, athletically and socially. We can no longer sustain 20 program offerings to pursue this mission in a fiscally responsible manner. By taking these measures, we move closer to our conference peers in the number of sports we sponsor, and we make significant progress toward the projected $5+ million operating deficit we face in fiscal year 2021.
I want to thank each of the young men who chose to be Mountaineers and committed to giving their all for App State. They have put forth great effort in the classroom and in competition and have represented App State the right way. These decisions are the hardest an athletics director will have to make. We thoroughly considered all options during the decision-making process in these unprecedented circumstances we're facing.
We will honor scholarships for those who wish to return to App State and will provide support to those who would like to transfer to another institution. We are announcing these decisions now to allow affected student-athletes and staff time to pursue other opportunities before the next school year begins.
We appreciate everyone who has supported these Mountaineer programs over the years, including current and former coaches, current and former student-athletes, their families, donors and fans. Your legacy is important to us.
The App Family is known for its strength and resilience. This is a pivotal moment for App State Athletics. It is in this moment that we must make hard decisions and take responsible action to ensure our athletics department's ability to fulfill our purpose and mission for years to come.
Sincerely,
Doug Gillin
Director of Athletics
