that the athletic department mission and that of the institution as a whole are often worlds apart, and can only be adequately described as "operating at cross-purposes" much of the time. This is borne out by evaluations of student athlete GPA, majors, and graduation rates, etc.
And, interestingly, many higher ed institutions are actually scrambling to get students to attend football games-- attendance is down. Perhaps the students are starting to see where their interests lie.
The cost of health insurance is a significant factor in the expense of higher ed-- I don't think that's usually talked about, but I think it matters.
