Arizona 'miscalculates' their university budget by nearly a quarter-million dollars

Athletics has also been a drain on the financial resources of the university, Robbins told the faculty, most of whom spoke out against the $55 million loan made by the university to the athletic department during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. That money, Robbins said, has not been paid back “fast enough.”


“I don’t have a lot of faith,” said research professor Ted Downing, of the university’s decision to make that loan. “I’m worried about priorities here. Does that loan reflect, to my point of view, a priority of athletics over the faculty, staff, students and the programs? That prioritization strikes deep, deep into my concern.”

The athletic department’s budget is roughly $100 million. About $40 million of that comes from the Pac-12, about $30 million comes from ticket sales, “primarily in football and basketball,” Robbins said, and the last $30 million comes from philanthropy and contracts.