Stanford's Approach to the Big-10 Issue Seems Different from UCLA's

Apparently, at Stanford, the top leadership is talking to the Academic Senate - in public - about the implications of the UCLA and USC move to the Big Ten. Is anything like that happening at UCLA? If not, why not? From the Stanford Daily:

Confidential conversations are underway about the changing landscape of athletic conferences, the University president said at Thursday’s Faculty Senate meeting. Responding to a faculty senator’s question about conference realignment, University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne discussed how student athletes at UCLA and USC, which will both join the Big 10 Conference in 2024, would be affected by “much more travel.” He then said that these considerations were “very concerning to us as well as we look at this landscape.” Tessier-Lavigne confirmed that conversations about media rights are already ongoing within the Pac-12, after a recent lawsuit filed against the NCAA opened the possibility of student athletes monetizing their own brand.

“There is a lot that’s happening behind closed doors right now,” Tessier-Lavigne said. “I am not at liberty to divulge those except to say that the 10 universities are focused on working with our commissioner to strike a deal that would be good for the conference, but more importantly good for our student athletes.” At the same meeting, civil and environmental engineering professor Jeff Koseff, the faculty athletics representative, and Bernard Muir, athletics director, discussed the state of the University’s athletics program, including some of the significant challenges and changes facing collegiate athletics nationwide. Koseff said his role includes making sure athletes are able to participate fully in both their academic and athletic pursuits while at Stanford. He also works on NCAA compliance so that the athletes are always able to compete. 

“It’s a very big operation,” Koseff said. He said Stanford has 36 sports for scholarship, the second highest in the country after Ohio State, which has 37. Additionally, Stanford has 817 athletes, according to Koseff — which represents around 10% of the undergraduate population. Stanford is a national leader in intercollegiate athletics, Koseff said: “We have won more national championships and our graduation rates are the highest in the country. Our athletes graduate, they go out and they make an impact in society.” Koseff added, “Excellence in athletics is part and parcel of what defines Stanford. It’s part of our culture and our fabric.”

However, the financial overview revealed that the athletics department is running a financial loss. “The income and expenses do not match,” Koseff said. “It’s something that is actively being worked on.” Koseff pointed out that $40 million is derived from the Pac-12 through media rights and March Madness. This large sum “should be what drives a lot of decision-making going forward,” Koseff said. In terms of the national landscape, there are shifting allegiances. USC and UCLA left the Pac-12 to join the Big 10. The Pac-12 and the Big 10 are NCAA Division I athletic conferences. 

Since this move, conference realignment has been a topic of consideration among the Stanford administration, according to Koseff. Schools in the Big 10 make significantly more from media rights, which could result in “an extra $50 million,” Koseff said...

Full story at https://stanforddaily.com/2022/11/08/tessier-lavigne-says-conference-realignment-conversations-are-underway-at-faculty-senate-meeting/.

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