Budget cuts threaten to slow down ACU success on the sports field.

As the university continues to make cuts campus-wide, the athletic department will have approximately $180,000 cut from its budget.

While some departments are losing staff and resources, this department is losing those who have not yet called ACU home because they are losing their recruiting scholarships.

Phil Schubert, president of the university, said in an interview with the Optimist last month that the university carefully evaluates where cuts are made.

“We realize the sensitivity, and we will do everything we can to try and minimize the impact on jobs,” Schubert said. “This is a place where personnel is at the heart of what we do.”

In total, ACU is expected to shed close to $4 million dollars during this round of budget cuts.

According to athletic director Jared Mosley, the athletic department will see the bulk of its cuts come from athletic scholarships for new players and renewed scholarships for returning players.

“When deciding where to make the cuts, you have to see which areas you are most flexible. When you get to a certain point, beyond the scholarships, you cut into the biggest portion of our budget which is travel and our having our teams compete on the road,” Mosley said.

In order to increase the amount of money dedicated to individual sports, some head coaches have resorted to doing their own fundraising to increase their budget.

Cuts in the athletic department fall in line with what Schubert called for earlier this month.

“Obviously we are going to be focused on those areas where we can save money and reduce cost that don’t have an adverse impact – on the student experience, on learning in the classroom and on the heart of what we do here at ACU,” Schubert said.