Paul Hammel
LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen praised the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Athletic Department on Monday for being “self-funded” and operating without state funds.
But when asked whether that should continue and if no state money should be devoted to the $450 million renovation of Memorial Stadium, Pillen stopped short of agreeing.
The governor, a former NU football player, said providing state funding for the stadium renovation, as some have suggested, is a “discussion” but not his top priority.
Have the courage to say ‘no’
“My focus right now is making sure the State of Nebraska can compete, and the first place we have to compete is in tax policy,” Pillen said. “We have to make sure we’re a fiscally conservative state and we have the courage to say ‘no.’ "
The governor’s comments to the Examiner, following a press conference Monday on a different subject, come as some athletic department donors and state senators are raising questions about the size and feasibility of the renovation project, which will be largely funded via private donors.
The concerns also come as UNL faces a $58 million budget shortfall, forcing proposed cuts in staff and academic programs, and just after private donors ponied up most of the $165 million needed for a new football performance and training table facility.
While private donors to UNL declined to be quoted by name, State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard said what many were thinking — that the optics aren’t good when you’re seeking nearly a half-billion dollars for a football field and at the same time cutting university programs and raising tuition.
As one donor told the Examiner, the 100-year-old stadium needs improved seating with backs to replace the current benches, but $450 million for a lot of other things is a stretch.
Pillen, in comments Monday, said Nebraskans “don’t do enough bragging about the extraordinary things” in the state, and that includes the “self-funded” UNL athletic program.
It is among the top three programs nationally in financial strength, he said, and contributes $10 million of its surplus funds each year to UNL academic programs.
That is unlike most Division I athletic programs, which need state funds to function.
“We have been self-supporting because of the great Nebraska fans. There’s never been a tax dollar used, there’s never been a fee used,” Pillen said.
(Cigarette smokers might disagree — the construction of the Devaney Sports Center, which opened in 1976 at a cost of $13 million, was financed via state tobacco tax revenue.)
The proposed funding for the Memorial Stadium renovation has a $125 million hole, the Omaha World-Herald reported. The $450 million project includes $225 million in private donations and $100 million from the athletic department, making it $125 million short.
A key question facing state lawmakers is whether they can say “no” to a request for state funds for the UNL stadium — famous for being the state’s third-largest city on game days — after recently granting $30 million for a new baseball field for Creighton University and providing state sales taxes for numerous youth soccer and baseball complexes.