Here is the official press release
Minnesota State University Moorhead President Edna Mora Szymanski announced today that the university will not add hockey as an NCAA intercollegiate sport because a required fund raising threshold has not been met and ongoing conference realignments.
The question of adding hockey has been under study on and off since 2009, and today’s decision means that the matter will remain out of consideration until economic recovery makes it easier for community partners who expressed interest in participating to do so.
“We had a business model that required a $37 million dollar 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,” Szymanski said in the release. “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 D1 hockey and former University of North Dakota Athletic Director, Carl Miller, to assist with additional exploration. In addition, they consulted with the System Office of the Minnesota State Colleges and University System along with the Chief Financial Officers of three System institutions with D1 hockey. These consultations led to the business model requiring $37 million dollars. The university then began consulting with various regional stakeholders, including the business community and alumni.
