National Collegiate Athletic Association
NCAA News Archive - 2007
« back to 2007 | Back to NCAA News Archive Index
Division II Summit - Ticket to engagement
The NCAA News
|
The NCAA News
University of Wisconsin, Parkside, President Jack Keating said his governing board gave him two mandates when he was appointed: One, build the enrollment, and two, engage the community.
One of the more unusual ways in which Keating has used athletics to directly affect the latter (and perhaps indirectly the former) is a ticket program for elementary schools. Weekly during the basketball season, the university gives a block of tickets to an elementary school and says it can keep half the proceeds of those it sells. However, if kids attend the game themselves, the school retains all the profit.
“At first glance, you might think it’s a losing proposition financially,” Keating said. “But on the contrary, the kids who come to the game bring their parents, they buy concessions and they come back to future games. And more importantly, beyond the fiscal aspect, they come onto the campus and engage in the kind of community interaction we’re after.”
One of the more unusual ways in which Keating has used athletics to directly affect the latter (and perhaps indirectly the former) is a ticket program for elementary schools. Weekly during the basketball season, the university gives a block of tickets to an elementary school and says it can keep half the proceeds of those it sells. However, if kids attend the game themselves, the school retains all the profit.
“At first glance, you might think it’s a losing proposition financially,” Keating said. “But on the contrary, the kids who come to the game bring their parents, they buy concessions and they come back to future games. And more importantly, beyond the fiscal aspect, they come onto the campus and engage in the kind of community interaction we’re after.”
© 2010 The National Collegiate Athletic Association
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy