Sid Hartman: Kaler says no concerns over fundraising for Gophers facilities project

University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler said Sunday that the $150 million athletic fundraising project to improve facilities and build new football and basketball practice facilities is going fine, and there is no concern that the school will be unable to complete the project. He also said that anyone complaining about a lack of fundraising on the project needs to look at things differently.

"It is by no means in jeopardy, whatsoever," Kaler said. "I think you need to put a little perspective on this. We have raised about $70 million in less than a year. Most places I know would be jumping up and down with a great story, instead we get rumors that we're slowing down and we're not committed. We are 100 percent committed to this project. Our donors have been wonderful in stepping up and they'll continue to do that. I have complete confidence in [athletic director] Norwood Teague and his team, which includes me, that we'll raise the money and get this building built."

Kaler said that while the project is being financed entirely by private donations, there is still the possibility that the athletic department could get a loan from the university to have 80 percent of the cost of the project raised to start construction on time.

"We'll ultimately raise it all privately or with already-allocated money," he said. "If we need to bridge a loan to get going more quickly we'd be willing to look at that, but at the end of the day there won't be tuition dollars or new state money in this."

Kaler added that a loan still would be counted toward the necessary 80 percent of total money raised on the project in order to go forward with construction.

"We have a very prudent budget process, we clearly are not going to start building anything we don't think we can pay for today," he said. "The rule of thumb we have is we want to understand where 80 percent of funding for a project is before we break ground. We'll be willing to not know where the last 20 percent is going to come from as we move forward in the fundraising. But part of that 80 percent can be a bridge loan or a structure against future revenues in the athletic program. The need to be concrete and prudent while we move forward while at the same time being sensitive to the fact that we want to move as quickly as possible."

While the fundraising needs to have that 80 percent matched by the June 11-12 Board of Regents meeting in order for construction to begin in October, Kaler believes that the work already done in getting the $70 million in donations in a year should be praised.

With Gophers football coach Jerry Kill saying the team needs a new practice facility in order to compete in recruiting, Kaler was asked if there is any chance of the football practice facilities getting built ahead of schedule, if fundraising isn't ready for the entire project.

"Well we're going to get them as soon as we can," Kaler said. "I think he's right. People can talk about the arms race in college athletics however they want to, but it is real. I've said since I've got here that if we're going to be in the Big Ten, we're going to compete in the Big Ten. The facilities are an important part of that for both or women and our men athletes, all 750 of our athletes will benefit from this program."

Kaler was asked for his opinion on the rumors that the Big Five college conferences — the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, SEC and Pac-12 — could break away from the NCAA.

"The so-called Big Five conferences have agreed to some autonomy totally within the NCAA framework, but we're not moving way from the NCAA," he said. "Those five conferences, including the Big Ten, have some additional autonomy around football practices, and it lets us compete with each other a little bit more effectively. I think that's a positive step forward."

The NCAA recently allocated a semester stipend to student-athletes to allow them to get more money for meals and for travel home. Kaler said he thinks that is a fair model.

"We have moved to pay for the full cost of attendance, which is an increase in the stipend that lets them have some additional living expenses and some additional traveling expenses to go back home. I think that's an appropriate recognition of the time commitment that student-athletes put in. I'm not in favor of going to the sort of semipro model that some people talk about. I think when you start to look at those numbers it becomes a fraught process."

With the Gophers men's basketball team and men's hockey team struggling in Big Ten play, Kaler was asked his opinion of the state of the athletic department.

"I'm optimistic about where we are," he said. "Everybody is comfortable with our football program and excited about the direction we're going. I think we have the two best young basketball coaches in the country [in Richard Pitino and Marlene Stollings], both of those programs are poised for great success going forward.

"I'm very pleased with our Olympic sports, wrestling right now is in a little bit of a stumble of a couple matches, but an incredibly strong program, look for them to be competitive in the national title. The women's hockey team got a split this weekend, and I expect them to be in the title hunt, as well."

Asked if there is any pressure on men's hockey coach Don Lucia, Kaler said: "This is the answer I give every time someone asks me a question about a coach: We evaluate all of our coaches at the end of the season and make decisions that we view are in the best interest of the program. The win-loss record is part of that, but it's not the whole story. That's an evaluation of coaches that athletic director Norwood Teague will be doing at the end of each season."