LSU ranks No. 7 in the nation in athletic fundraising, according to an October report from the Chronicle of Higher Education. The University raised $35 million in 2006 in comparison to North Carolina’s No. 1 ranking with $51 million raised. Schools within the Southeastern Conference took four of the top-10 rankings. Florida, Georgia and Tennessee ranked ahead of LSU as No. 4, 5 and 6, respectively. LSU administered six full-time athletic fundraisers in 2006 compared to North Carolina’s 20 fundraisers. A Chronicle of Higher Education analysis shows that athletic spending continues to increase, growing three times as fast as general university spending. The analysis cites an April issue of the Journal of Sports Management that reported an increase of athletic donations but a stagnant trend in university donations. In 1998, nationwide athletic donations were only about 15 percent of all donations. By 2003, athletic donations had risen to 26 percent. The Chronicle of Higher Education highlighted LSU’s athletic booster club, the Tiger Athletic Foundation. In 2006, TAF experienced the greatest increase in donors giving $100,000 or more. The report also explored potential tension between general foundations, such as the LSU Foundation, and athletic foundations such as TAF. Ron Richard, TAF’s chief executive officer, told The Chronicle of Higher Education that in the past six months TAF aided in the donation of approximately $8 million to University academic endeavors.
—-Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]