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On Monday, USA Today released their annual report detailing collegiate finance figures for 227 colleges and universities that are public institutions, therefore making their numbers available for examination.
As one may expect, the overall figures on both sides of Arizona State University's accounting ledger are modest, ranking somewhere in the middle among major schools. On many levels, considering the size and profile of the school, this could be considered a disappointment, but with several major initiatives in the works, the future has major potential.
Below are the revenue figures for ASU for 2006-2011 (click image for larger view):
The first thing that catches the eye is the nearly $4-million drop in ticket sales from 2010 to 2011, that offset contribtuions and other revenue increases.
However, on the whole, ASU saw an increase of over $5-million in revenue over this time period, largely built on the increase in the rights and licensing category. This includes media/broadcast rights, food/concessions, parking, and sponsorship. This area should increase greatly in the coming years with the additional funds from the Pac-12 Network media deal.
Another area that should see a lift is in the contributions, as Todd Graham and the Sun Devil Club have made tireless efforts to build bonds with fans and potential donors.
Overall, ASU's revenue of $55,294,113 was well below the conference median of $62.5-million (not including Utah or Colorado). Among the conference, Oregon led the way with nearly $86-million in revenue, and Washington State brining up the rear at just a shade under $40-million. The Arizona Wildcats totaled $59,663,128. Not listed were Stanford and USC. Texas led all 227 schools with $150-million in revenue, and Coppin State trailed with $3.48-million
Now let's take a look at the university's expenses for 2006-2011 (click image for larger view).
For the third straight year, ASU's athletic expenses outweighed their revenue. In fact, other than the $537,191 profit in 2008, the overall margins have been in the red for four of the last five years.
An ongoing increase in scholarship expenses, coupled with rising coaching costs starting in 2008 (when Dennis Erickson was given an extension, and his base salary increased) and facility costs that have nearly doubled.
Like their revenue, ASU's expenses were below the conference average of $60.6-million, and was third-lowest among the eight conference schools listed, ahead of only Oregon State and Washington State ($40.6-million). The Wildcats spent about $1.5-million more than ASU in 2011.
With major initiatives to renovate Sun Devil Stadium and share a new baseball complex with the Chicago Cubs, the financial future for the Sun Devils shows some promise, as well as significant near-term expenditures.
Follow me on Twitter @BDenny29 for the latest on ASU sports