May 7, 2003

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - The University of Wyoming unveiled a $2.9 million operational plan Tuesday designed to improve competitive excellence and boost the school's standing in the Mountain West Conference.

Officials may attempt to generate additional funds - possibly up to $120 million - to improve UW athletics facilities, including 52-year-old War Memorial Stadium.

Speaking at the first of three public meetings on the plan Tuesday, President Philip Dubois said the school is $4.8 million below the conference average for intercollegiate athletics spending and called on fans, private donors and the Legislature to help raise necessary funds.

UW officials, meanwhile, will attempt to boost revenue by gradually increasing ticket prices and continuing to raise private donations and sponsorships, Dubois said.

''If the state does want to have a Division I program, and I suppose that's a debate people oughta have, if they want a Division I program, then we oughta at least be prepared to be competitive and not be seen as an institution that let the game get away from it,'' Dubois said.

''We know that Cowboy athletics is a great source of citizen pride, and part of the reason for these public briefings and the issuance of the plan for public comment is to gauge whether the level of support we think is out there is actually out there,'' he said. ''A lot of times people are very supportive in concept, but when you ask them to put their hand in their pocket, you don't hear from them again.''

Dubois, athletics director Lee Moon, men's basketball coach Steve McClain and football coach Joe Glenn visited Casper, Cheyenne and Laramie to share details of UW's Strategic Plan for Intercollegiate Athletics.

The four speakers, in addition to discussing the operational budget, also addressed fair and competitive scheduling, attracting an estimated 10,000 alumni in the Denver area and the Legislature's possible role in the process.

Although UW raised significant money - $865,000 in 2000-01, compared to the national average of $716,008 - by playing road games against power conference teams, Dubois said the school paid the consequences.

The president used last season's football game against Tennessee as a prime example, noting that UW received $2 million but suffered a lopsided loss on the field. He called it a ''good business decision, maybe not the best decision we could have made from the standpoint of competitive excellence.''

''I think our strategic planning process has convinced quite clearly, and certainly our fans have let us know this, that we've become too dependent upon the big-money games outside of Laramie,'' Dubois said. ''Like playing at Tennessee, or Auburn, or Georgia, or Ohio State, or Washington, at the expense of giving our team the opportunity to be successful at home.''

The men's basketball team has especially suffered from the lack of quality non-conference home games. In recent years, the Cowboys have played and defeated the likes of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Prairie View A&M and Savannah State inside the Arena-Auditorium.

Those victories, however, did more harm than good. UW's Ratings Percentage Index, a major determining factor for NCAA tournament at-large bids, dropped following each victory because of the opponent's low standing on the national scene.

''We need resources to be able to bring better teams into Laramie and have a chance to beat those teams at home,'' Dubois said. ''It's almost better to lose - Steve wouldn't agree - but it's almost better to lose against a quality opponent at home than it is to beat up on Arkansas-Pine Bluff.''

To lure stronger opponents to Laramie, though, UW must raise ticket prices so it can pay ''guarantee'' money to the visiting team.

''That's the reality,'' Moon said. ''If you want to do this, somebody has pay the price. That's what we're trying to do. We want do this, we want to be successful, but there's a price to it.''

Dubois insisted fans will still have it good.

''Even our basketball season-ticket holders, who typically make a donation of $250 in order to buy access to their season tickets in the best seats in the Double-A, don't compare to what they have to do, or do in the ACC, where you have to put up $10,000 to buy a ticket in the choice seating,'' he said. ''We're not saying Wyoming will go that far, but the point is, there's a lot of distance between $250 and $10,000.''

In hopes of bolstering attendance, Dubois said UW is preparing for a marketing campaign in the Denver area.

''We don't reach them nearly as well as we think we can, in terms of radio or television and in terms of drawing them to watching basketball and football in our facilities,'' he said.

During his seven years as president, Dubois said he hasn't asked the Legislature for athletic funding beyond state-funded base salaries and benefits.

Things could change next spring, when UW faculty and staff will take precedence in Dubois' address to the Legislature.

''Our top priority when we go to Legislature next spring is not ($2.9 million) for athletics. It's a salary request increase for faculty and staff compensation, because we're still lagging in that area,'' he said. ''And then it will be athletics.''