ASU vs. Grand Canyon: Presidents spar over sports, for-profit schools

Arizona State University president Michael Crow does not want Phoenix-based Grand Canyon University to be able to move up to Division I sports.

Things are heating up in the Pac-12 Conference and Grand Canyon University isn?t even officially in the NCAA Division I yet.

The Pac-12 university presidents ? including Arizona State University President Michael Crow ? have made it very clear they don?t want GCU in their division ? not because they?re threatened by GCU?s basketball team, but because it?s a for-profit university.

I got a chance to talk to Crow today about why he doesn?t want GCU in NCAA Division I sports.

?It has nothing to do with me personally,? he said. ?We wish GCU all the success they can possibly have. We need more people educating students.?

But it?s a matter of where a university?s investments go, he said.

?We are making investments in athletes to gain return to the university,? Crow said. ?They are focused on raising their stock price and improving their dividend and using their sports team to be able to do that.?

Brian Mueller, president and CEO of GCU, said that couldn?t be further from the truth. As a publicly traded company, GCU investors don?t make money through dividends, but rather on the appreciation of the company?s stock price, he said.

?In budgetary planning, we know that we will lose money on our athletic programs,? Mueller said. ?Similarly, we also lose money on our first growing and very diverse fine arts program. But the athletic programs and fine arts programs are designed to provide a high-quality educational experience for the athletes and performers as well as contribute to the overall vibrancy of campus life.?

It also helps to build the brand, said Trace Urdan, senior analyst for Wells Fargo Securities who tracks GCU?s stock.

Angela Gonzales covers health, biotech and education.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bizj_phoenix/~3/nXwC4MYbDCc/asu-vs-grand-canyon-presidents-spar.html

aapl Xbox One new Mac Pro brody jenner brody jenner maurice sendak E3 Schedule