Michigan State gets $401mm Gift, Most Goes to Athletics

[Chuck]

Sorry, I'm a big UConn sports fan, and I'd love for the teams to be able to keep up with the P4, so maybe I'm a hypocrite. But our priorities are really screwed up. Think about how much good $401mm could do. Giving that much money to a state school athletic department is kind of gross, in my opinion.

Michigan St. receives $290M donation for athletics

Michigan State has received a $401 million gift from Greg and Dawn Williams, supporting the university's and athletic department's fundraising initiatives with one of the richest donations in college sports history.

www.espn.com

 

[UCLJ0211]

That would be our new Gampel.

 

[drayenob]

Sorry, I'm a big UConn sports fan, and I'd love for the teams to be able to keep up with the P4, so maybe I'm a hypocrite. But our priorities are really screwed up. Think about how much good $401mm could do. Giving that much money to a state school athletic department is kind of gross, in my opinion.

Michigan St. receives $290M donation for athletics

Michigan State has received a $401 million gift from Greg and Dawn Williams, supporting the university's and athletic department's fundraising initiatives with one of the richest donations in college sports history.

www.espn.com

Greg and Dawn Williams are also giving $100 million -- in addition to the $401 million commitment -- for Spartan Ventures, a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation set up to raise funds for the athletic department.

 

[ucp990411]

That would be our new Gampel.

How about a new football field where it should be - on campus or nearby

 

[80shusky]

Sorry, I'm a big UConn sports fan, and I'd love for the teams to be able to keep up with the P4, so maybe I'm a hypocrite. But our priorities are really screwed up. Think about how much good $401mm could do. Giving that much money to a state school athletic department is kind of gross, in my opinion.

Michigan St. receives $290M donation for athletics

Michigan State has received a $401 million gift from Greg and Dawn Williams, supporting the university's and athletic department's fundraising initiatives with one of the richest donations in college sports history.

www.espn.com

That's over 10,000 years of in-state tuition, room and board at $38,000k/year.

 

[superjohn]

I assumed this would be from Matt Ishbia or possibly Dan Gilbert. I'm jealous of these schools with all these billionaires who can swoop in and give their schools schools enormous sums of money. I really wish UConn had that.

 

[Samoo]

That's over 10,000 years of in-state tuition, room and board at $38,000k/year.

If you were only paying for one scholarship a year, you would never spend it all, it would only grow by $20 million a year at 5% return.

 

[TerryBoyz]

That would be our new Gampel.

With a retractable roof!

 

[buckley503]

I Know Bear Bryant said 90000 people don't come to watch a chemistry experiment. But as a dad with a sophomore at MSU and expecting a tuition increase after next year, I can't agree more with the word gross.

 

[Jaydumo20]

I Know Bear Bryant said 90000 people don't come to watch a chemistry experiment. But as a dad with a sophomore at MSU and expecting a tuition increase after next year, I can't agree more with the word gross.

Good point. It's sad. I'm starting to distance myself from sports. Because of this. I know I post a lot, but I enjoy the camaraderie more than the business of it. Its pretty gross. And "hey, bear. Chemistry has saved lives, Alabama football hasn't. Chill out"

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Good point. It's sad. I'm starting to distance myself from sports. Because of this. I know I post a lot, but I enjoy the camaraderie more than the business of it. Its pretty gross. And "hey, bear. Chemistry has saved lives, Alabama football hasn't. Chill out"

The tide has killed trees too damnit !

 

[superjohn]

Good point. It's sad. I'm starting to distance myself from sports. Because of this. I know I post a lot, but I enjoy the camaraderie more than the business of it. Its pretty gross. And "hey, bear. Chemistry has saved lives, Alabama football hasn't. Chill out"

Ultra rich/billionaires have been donating to their schools forever, I don't see how that's gross.

Harvard's endowment is bigger than the economies of like 120 counties. It's out of whack and it's gross they got stimulus money before the public backlash but I don't have any problem with alumni giving to their schools.

 

[NJHusky]

I assumed this would be from Matt Ishbia or possibly Dan Gilbert. I'm jealous of these schools with all these billionaires who can swoop in and give their schools schools enormous sums of money. I really wish UConn had that.

Midwest state schools don't have elite nearby universities. successful alums donate to their Alma mater. Much higher % of uber successful folks coming from Ivies than St U on east coast is my guess

 

[Tenspro2002]

Sorry, I'm a big UConn sports fan, and I'd love for the teams to be able to keep up with the P4, so maybe I'm a hypocrite. But our priorities are really screwed up. Think about how much good $401mm could do. Giving that much money to a state school athletic department is kind of gross, in my opinion.

Michigan St. receives $290M donation for athletics

Michigan State has received a $401 million gift from Greg and Dawn Williams, supporting the university's and athletic department's fundraising initiatives with one of the richest donations in college sports history.

www.espn.com

"Kind of gross"? It's 100% gross.

Yes, people can do what they want with their money, etc., but in terms of, like, how resources are allocated by society, deeply messed up that our laws and incentives are structured in such a way that this is common.

 

[superjohn]

"Kind of gross"? It's 100% gross.

Yes, people can do what they want with their money, etc., but in terms of, like, how resources are allocated by society, deeply messed up that our laws and incentives are structured in such a way that this is common.

What do you propose?

No more tax-exempt status for Universities? No more deductions on donations?

 

[Tenspro2002]

What do you propose?

No more tax-exempt status for Universities? No more deductions on donations?

To be clear, my issue is not donating 401MM to the university, my issue is earmarking 290MM for sports.

 

[superjohn]

To be clear, my issue is not donating 401MM to the university, my issue is earmarking 290MM for sports.

You just don't like how they spend their money and what's important to them. If I had to venture a guess people here are giving far more money to UConn sports than they are to the UConn Philisophy Department.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

You just don't like how they spend their money and what's important to them. If I had to venture a guess people here are giving far more money to UConn sports than they are to the UConn Philisophy Department.

I think that's exactly the point.

 

[Mr. French]

I'm all for sports, it's been the driving force in my entire life and still is a huge part of my life including my career ... but I can't disagree about the "gross" characterization of earmarking hundreds of millions to an athletic department. I said so in another thread earlier this year about some billionaire in KS building a stadium and other extravagant things.

As much as I like multiple teams, I can't imagine I'd be giving in the hundreds of millions to 1 school's athletic department, almost regardless of how much money I had. It's a tad weird honestly.

 

[Flipside]

 

[OceanDoggie]

Not a Dime! 💰