Minnesota State-Moorhead announced Monday that the university will not add hockey as an NCAA intercollegiate sport because a required fundraising threshold has not been met and because of ongoing conference realignments.
“We had a business model that required a $37 million endowment from private sources to support hockey and while the community response has been impressive, we have been unable to identify the full $37 million,” said MSUM president Edna Mora Szymanski in a statement. “The endowment was necessary because in recent years, our legislative appropriation has gone down by $6 million and I cannot justify diverting tuition or tax dollars to a new intercollegiate sport. Our priority must be first and foremost on continuing to provide our students a great education.”
During the past year, the university engaged Collegiate Consulting to explore the feasibility of Division I hockey and former North Dakota athletic director Carl Miller to assist with the project. In addition, the university consulted with the system office of the Minnesota State Colleges and University System along with the chief financial officers of three system institutions with D-I hockey. These consultations led to the business model requiring $37 million. The university then began consulting with various regional stakeholders, including the business community and alumni.
“I am proud of our effort and that the university had the vision and courage to think big in our neverending mission of serving our regional community,” added MSUM athletic director Doug Peters.
