Department of Intercollegiate Athletics
Athletic Strategic Plan
Executive Summary
While recognizing its obligations and commitments to its mission, the NCAA’s Division I philosophies, its Big West Conference requirements, as well as its participation in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, members of the Athletic Department’s senior management staff initiated the formal development of this Strategic Plan during the latter part of the Fall 2005 quarter. The process was initiated based on previously assimilated input from staff, internal and external to the Athletic Department, as well as from members of the external community. Further iteration of the Strategic Plan contemplated additional review by staff, internal and external to the Athletic Department, and members of the external community, including members of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics and the Athletic Director’s Leadership Council. While the Strategic Plan has been initially drafted in contemplation of a three to five year fluid plan, it is hoped that as the Strategic Plan is reviewed and adjusted that the document will provide a vision for its athletic programs that is integrally related to the University’s mission and continuing growth as a regionally and nationally recognized academic institution.
Five Key Principles/Values
The Strategic Plan’s goals also encompass five important principles/values for its athletic programs:
- To provide athletic programs that contribute and are integral to a rewarding academic and collegiate experience for students at UCI.
- To provide student-athletes with an opportunity to compete not only academically, but athletically as well, at the highest possible level during their collegiate experience.
- To conduct its athletic program with fiscal responsibility while offering a program that meets the needs of student-athletes, supports the mission of UCI, and provides opportunities for competitive success consistent with the academic success and image of the University.
- To conduct its athletic program consistent with University, Conference, and NCAA policies, rules, and regulations.
- To conduct its athletic program in a manner that well-represents the University’s internal and external communities.
The Strategic Plan’s goals also recognize the critical need to provide an infrastructure that supports a broad based athletic program as part of UCI’s campus growth. Four major categories of expenses can be identified: athletically related scholarships, staff salaries, operations, and facilities. Quality coaches must have the ability to recruit and retain the type of student-athletes who have the capability of being academically and athletically successful at UCI. Such recruitment and retention are dependent on continuing collaborative working relationships between Athletic Department staff, admissions and financial aid staffs, housing staffs, student advising and counseling staffs, and development and University advancement staffs, particularly for identification of additional revenue sources and integration into the campus’ fund-raising campaign(s).
Five Sections
Section 1 – Student-Athletes: This section outlines goals/objectives associated with the athletic program’s highest priority – providing a positive, rewarding collegiate experience for our student-athletes.
Section 2 – Athletic Programs: This section outlines goals/objectives associated with the athletic success of our student-athletes and their programs. Consistent with the campus’ goals of establishing and promoting centers of excellence within its respective organizational entities, the athletic program reaffirms its responsibilities to sponsor at the highest feasible level its basketball, baseball, soccer, and volleyball programs, while maintaining its fiscally responsible sponsorship of all programs in a manner to provide a range of participation and competitive opportunities in support of the campus’ growing student body.
Section 3 – Scholarship Support: This section outlines the need for scholarship aid sufficient to support the athletic and academic success of our student-athletes and their programs. The section identifies the need to enhance fund raising in order to fully fund those athletic programs to be funded at the highest level, including some considered allocation of out-of-state scholarship aid, and summer school and fifth-year aid when appropriate and necessary.
Section 4 – Facilities: This section outlines goals/objectives associated with facility needs and priorities. The section identifies priority needs such as the continued build out of the baseball stadium, upgraded office space for the basketball and volleyball programs, maintenance and upgrading of the program’s practice and competition facilities, locker room and team room requirements, and the future replacement of the aging Crawford Hall administration building.
Section 5 – Values/Relationships: This section outlines goals/objectives associated with a number of values and relationship topics relating to the successful operation of the athletic program.
The Strategic Plan strongly acknowledges that the athletic program has the potential to become a more valuable asset to the campus as it captures the positive attention of its various constituencies. Few, if any other components of the campus bring together so many faculty, staff, students, alumni, and supporters to celebrate the qualities of UCI. Generally, the media covers no other component of the campus as extensively as the athletic program. Importantly, it is the efforts to develop and maintain an athletically competitive program at the NCAA Division I level for the benefit of its student-athletes that distinguish, and what provide the intrinsic value to, the University’s intercollegiate athletic program from the University’s Campus Recreation programs.
The Strategic Plan hopefully captures the vision that student success in academics and athletics can be inspiring and synergistic rather than mutually exclusive. Academic and athletic success can be beneficial to the personal and social development of our students, as well as integrally related to the successful growth of the campus. UCI’s athletic program provides invaluable opportunities for our student-athletes to develop their physical talents and abilities, as well as to demonstrate characteristics of personal excellence, while such opportunities also provide a broad range of benefits to the campus community.
