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Budget decisions postponed at WSU

Posted by Libby

June 2, 2009 7:10 a.m. • 1 comment

COUGARS • UPDATED: 10 A.M.

Yesterday was June 1, the day Washington State University President Elson Floyd had originally earmarked for the school departments to submit budget cuts. But last week Floyd gave everyone an extension, so don’t expect anything to happen for a week or two. For more on the upcoming athletic department cuts, read on.

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• The WSU athletic department is trying to fill a budget hole that will be at the very least $1 million, including a $350,000 cut in university help and tuition increases. A fair amount to be sure, but as we wrote here in May, something that will be handled without dropping any sports, according to Anne McCoy, the senior associate athletic director who handles budgeting, and AD Jim Sterk. So where will the cuts be found? There will be tightening throughout, with travel parties slimmed, expenses pared, things of that nature. That should save some. There could be layoffs, though that hasn’t been determined yet, and should not include major cuts. Staff vacancies will save some more. Plus there is the sometimes-overlooked truth that if revenues increase, the budget hole shrinks as well. That’s something you folks have discussed a lot in your comments here. Expect an announcement about the cuts in the next couple of weeks. … Freelancer Howie Stalwick looked at the budget dilemma in today’s Tri-City Herald with this piece. … The Times’ Bid Withers looks at the status of the Martin Stadium upgrade, which is still moving forward. … Bud also has an update on Cory Mackay’s status. Mackay hopes to back in school as a student come August. … The Times also updates the status of Husky Stadium. … The Arizona Daily Star’s Greg Hansen has this column on outgoing Pac-10 commissioner Thomas Hansen. Expect more of the same all month as Hansen’s tenure winds down. … UPDATE: Buster Sports’ Nick Daschel is looking at the Pac-10’s top football coaches over the past 50 years. At No. 29: Jim Walden.

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• That’s it for this morning. We’ll be back as events warrant the rest of the week. Until then …

One comment on this post so far. Add yours!

GaryRCox on June 02 at 11:02 a.m.
As the President of the Yakima Cougar Club during the 1980’s, I got to know Jim Walden thru events that we sponsored and he graciously attended.

To say that he was a ‘card’ would be an understatement and I couldn’t agree more with Nick Daschel’s assessment that he made Wazzu revelent again.

In particular, Jim worked feveriously to get the Apple Cup back to Pullman and I was there that first year when the Coug’s beat the Huskies to knock them out of the Rose Bowl (and I still have a piece of the goal post that was floated down the Palouse River afterwards).

I will never forget the RPM Year of 1985 when Jim came to Yakima and I had the great idea to have ‘Babe’ Hollingbery (of Hollingbery Hop Company and the last coach to take Wazzu to the Rose Bowl) introduce Jim as the next coach to take Wazzu to the Rose Bowl.

So I called the phone number listed in the directory and Babe’s wife answered the phone. I indicated who I was and want I had in mind, to which she responded that the ‘Babe’ would have been thrilled to do this, but that he had been dead for almost 11 years.

Needless to say, I apologized and quickly hung up the phone after inviting her to attend. While this story has received many laughs over the years, Jim brought many memorable victories to Ol’ Wazzu and will never be forgotten by this Cougar whose blood pumps Crimson.

May Paul Wulff have similar success during his tenure, for it is not always the won-loss record you incur, it is the spirit and pride you bring to the table that matters the most.

Go Cougs!!