Central Michigan University President George E. Ross talked football to a group of alumni in Midland Tuesday night.
“I know you’re paying attention to football. We’ve had a rough start. I’ll remind you we’ve had new coaches before with rough starts. I am very supportive of Dan Enos and very supportive of the football players,” Ross said.
He foresees good things in the future for the team.
“I think the turn-around is coming. I will ask for your patience. For those of you who might not quite believe, I have two words for you—Detroit Lions. Its coming,” Ross said.
Coach talk and “playing clean”
“When I talk to coaches on campus, the athletic director and staff, I tell them ‘we are going to play clean at CMU.’”
“Since 1953 the NCAA has been tracking major violations across athletics. There’s 17 programs in America that have never had a major violation and CMU is one of them. We gotta play clean,” Ross said.
Money talk
Ross said the university athletics program needs financial support and he needs the help of the coaches to raise money.
“They do a pretty decent job, but we can do better. I can do better raising funds too,” he said.
Alumni survey
Ross told the group of alumni that a survey was conducted last year where 5,000 surveys were mailed out. He said 67 percent of the alumni said the number one reason they stay attached to CMU was athletics.

The event where Ross spoke took place at the Great Hall Banquet and Convention Center in Midland and was sponsored by CMU’s Great Lakes Bay Region Chapter.

I had a chance to ask CMU President George Ross how athletics is and could be affected by the faculty work stoppage. Here is his answer:

"There are a minimum number of teaching days required in order for intercollegiate athletes to stay eligible. I will leave it at that. Right now, football is in practice. Soccer is playing. Volleyball is playing. Athletes are on campus. We have to get back to class. It could have an adverse effect on our ability to play intercollegiate sports. It could have an adverse effect on our ability to issue financial aid. Because there are certain requirements by the federal government."

This could be a problem if the strike continues for a long period of time.

Central Michigan President George Ross sent out an email to faculty on Tuesday with the following included:

"The university also announced a new three-year contract for Athletics Director David Heeke effective Jan. 1, 2011, through June 30, 2014. Heeke’s base salary compensation remains the same and several incentive opportunities have been included in the contract."

I got confirmation from Heeke on the contract. Here is the story and some more information on the contract:

http://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2011/01/11/sports/doc4d2caac376cfb509842312.txt

On Thursday, the Central Michigan University Board of Trustees is expected to give CMU President George Ross the go-ahead to pursue the creation of a hotel and renovations to Kelly/Shorts stadium in the near future.

According to the CMU Board of Trustees agenda for Thursday's meeting, the hotel would be built on the East Side of Kelly/Shorts Stadium where the outdoor practice facility is located. The project, as presently designed, would include a national franchise hotel with approximately 150 rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, exercise facilities, business center, restaurant, meeting or conference space, and other amenities.

Part of the project also includes the addition of stadium suites, with new restrooms and concession spaces for the east side of Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The suites would be connected to the hotel by a planned glass atrium. The university would lease the suites, with an option to purchase.

For more on this story, check out TheMorningSun.com throughout the upcoming days.

Sorry I haven't blogged as of late, not too much to talk about. Here are a few bullet points of CMU news and notes:

- The CMU men's basketball team added a preferred walk-on and welcomed back Brandon Ford to the team to replace the departing Adrian Hunter and Jeremy Allen. Ford is done with school but has a year of eligibility left and will come back, which will help the depth in the post for CMU next season.

-Sue Guevara got a significant contract extension with CMU. This is a big show of support for Coach G and well deserved. The women's basketball has clearly taken a step up in her two seasons here and based on her recruiting, it is only going to get better. This extension also shows that CMU has her back in this ongoing lawsuit.

- Bloomberg released information regarding Athletic Directors, their salaries, and their budgets from around the country. According to Bloomberg, Dave Heeke is the lowest-paid AD in the MAC at just under $160,000 a year. CMU's budget is second-highest in the MAC at $19.5 million, while the MAC as a whole ranks 10th of 11 conferences in averages salary for its ADs and average athletic budget of its schools. I would think with a new president coming in, Heeke may see more pay, or he may have interest in looking elsewhere to work.
(It should be noted that more goes into an athletic budget than just what Bloomberg listed as well, and CMU may not exactly be second in the MAC. I hope to do more on this figure and find out how things break down.)

- CMU didn't fare well in the NFL Draft, but the CFL is all about the Chippewas. Eric Fraser was taken eighth overall in the 2009 CFL draft and he now has a place to go following his senior year with CMU.

- Summer workouts will take up most of the next few months in terms of football, while recruiting is also big for basketball and football in the upcoming months. Football has yet to get a verbal for the 2010 season, but has garnered a lot of interest. For more on CMU recruiting, check out chippewacountry.com.