RELEASE DATE: 11/16/06

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mansfield University eliminates football

MANSFIELD – Mansfield University President Dr. Maravene Loeschke announced today the elimination of the football program.

The following is a email distributed to the campus this morning from the President’s Office.

It is with great sadness that I announce the elimination of the football program at Mansfield University.  There are very few more difficult decisions that have had to be made at this wonderful institution.  This decision is particularly sad in light of the long football history at Mansfield.

Mansfield University is too small an institution to support a football program in the manner it deserves.  Although enrollment at the institution has generally remained steady, costs of running the university have escalated each year.  It is no longer possible to continue to do well all of the things we have done for many years.

Because Mansfield’s academic programs form the foundation for educating every student, preserving and enhancing the quality of these programs will always be our first priority.  In this challenging budget climate, academic excellence requires making difficult choices.  In making these choices now, however, we move toward a bright future for the excellent Mansfield education we provide to the next generation of Pennsylvania’s leaders.

This decision is especially troubling for many Mansfield alumni who played football because they understand better than anyone the many benefits that football provides for student athletes.  We will immediately establish a task force of football alumni and other interested people who will work with our Advancement Office to create a strategy for raising an endowment that would be sufficient to support a competitive football program.  If we are able to raise sufficient funds in this way, we will open discussion about reestablishing a football program at whatever level—Division II, Division III, or Independent League—we can properly support.

I encourage us all to work together to help the members of this year’s team who are most affected by this decision.  These young men have conducted themselves with understanding, character, integrity, and civility.  They are a source of tremendous pride to Mansfield.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Elimination of Football