Dartmouth Drops Five Programs Over Enrollment, Budget

The hits keep coming for Dartmouth College student-athletes. About 110 of them are without a team, as the Ivy League school in Hanover, N.H., announced Thursday that it “reluctantly concluded that the best path forward” was to immediately cutting the varsity programs for men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and men’s lightweight rowing.

“I can assure you that these decisions were made with great care and with the long-term interests of the learning experience provided by Dartmouth Athletics front and center,” university president Philip J. Hanlon said, noting he consulted with athletic director Harry Sheehy, the Athletic Advisory Board and the Board of Trustees. “Harry and I realize that on top of what has already been a uniquely challenging year, this is deeply disappointing news. I remain fully committed to Dartmouth Athletics and am confident that the steps outlined here will make it a leaner but stronger program.”

Dartmouth’s release said the changes were made “to better balance the makeup of incoming undergraduate classes and help ease a budget deficit made worse by the pandemic” and “will give Dartmouth more flexibility in admissions, reducing the number of recruited athletes in incoming classes by 10%. The move also contributes to the steps Dartmouth is taking to address budget challenges, including a projected $150 million financial deficit brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Hanlon said that, with the smallest enrollment in the Ivy League, Dartmouth was having a hard time “achieving the right balance between applicants who are accomplished in athletics and applicants who excel in other pursuits.” When deciding teams to cut, the athletic department looked at a number of factors, including what programs provide a high-quality student-athlete experience, community-building power, tradition and the potential for future success, quality facilities and the level of investment required.

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The elimination of five sports leaves Dartmouth with 30, well over the minimum of 16 teams required to be an NCAA Division I member.

Also announced Wednesday, 15 staff members will lose their jobs and the Dartmouth-owned Hanover Country Club will close permanently. The country club, which has been closed since last fall, will likely be kept open for community recreational use. All the athletic department changes are expected to save more than $2 million.

Related content: Ivy League Cancels Sports Until at Least January

The Ivy League announced Wednesday that it was canceling all sports for 2020-21 until at least January in order to fit with protocols in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“With the information available to us today regarding the continued spread of the virus, we simply do not believe we can create and maintain an environment for intercollegiate athletic competition that meets our requirements for safety and acceptable levels of risk, consistent with the policies that each of our schools is adopting as part of its reopening plans this fall,” the Ivy League Council of Presidents said in Wednesday’s release.

Related content: Stanford Explains Decision to Cut 11 Varsity Sports