Georgetown: 2,011 Days...

[DFW HOYA]

It's been 2,011 days since construction was halted on the bane of Patriot League Football, Georgetown's still-unnamed Multi-Sport Facility. (2011? Yes, I'm keeping count.). It's still listed as a "priority", albeit an unfunded one.

Previous designs for the field are linked here:
http://www.hoyafootball.com/history/proposed_stadia.htm

[Seawolf97]

Thats much too long xnonono2x

[Go...gate]

If they build the 2008 revision, Hell, that would be fine. It does not have to have Gothic columns and all that stuff. Just make it a pleasant place for five or six thousand people to watch a football game. If you find you need more seats, add them.

[RichH2]

2008 plan looks quite suitable, as interest rises easily expanded. No Alum offering to fund if you put their name on the facility? HSBC field at Georgetown U. xeyebrowx

[JSU02]

If they build the 2008 revision, Hell, that would be fine. It does not have to have Gothic columns and all that stuff. Just make it a pleasant place for five or six thousand people to watch a football game. If you find you need more seats, add them.
GOTHIC PORTALS OR BUST! They were always my favorite part of the rendering. The original plans for JSU stadium had some as towers on either side of the skyboxes, but when we changed architects the design got dumbed down :(

[ngineer]

C'mon Bill, can't you "feel the pain" of yo' Hoyas? Certainly a worthy subject of the former President's philander..er, philanthropy. At the dedication ceremony, the band can play "Down, Down the Field" and he can endow the "Head" Coach's position.
Hoyas! What Rocks! (?) xsmiley_wixxcoolx

[DFW HOYA]

C'mon Bill, can't you "feel the pain" of yo' Hoyas? Certainly a worthy subject of the former President's philander..er, philanthropy. At the dedication ceremony, the band can play "Down, Down the Field" and he can endow the "Head" Coach's position.
Hoyas! What Rocks! (?) xsmiley_wixxcoolx

Why would the Georgetown band play the Syracuse fight song?

http://blog.syracuse.com/orange-segment/2009/02/donte_on_drums_on_down_down_th.html

[maristdb89]

C'mon Bill, can't you "feel the pain" of yo' Hoyas? Certainly a worthy subject of the former President's philander..er, philanthropy. At the dedication ceremony, the band can play "Down, Down the Field" and he can endow the "Head" Coach's position.
Hoyas! What Rocks! (?) xsmiley_wixxcoolx

I think he donated for the Women's Locker Room portion xlolx

[LBPop]

C'mon Bill, can't you "feel the pain" of yo' Hoyas?

Bill's shortcomings aside (pun intended), I would wager that he has never attended a Hoya football game. Heck, he might not know that Georgetown has a football team. The name that always comes to mind when thinking of potential donors is Paul Tagliabue. But to be fair to both of these men, they might have already donated generously and done so anonymously.

Bottom line--those of us with some direct experience with the promises of a new stadium are more than cynical. We believe that it simply will not happen in any reasonable (or unreasonable) amount of time. Unless somebody suddenly drops a huge amount of money on the school with the absolute directive that it be used for the stadium, it won't happen. Because I am beginning to think that in their heart of hearts, the administration doesn't really care. xviolinx

[DFW HOYA]

I think they do care, but where does it rank among competing priorities, in no particular order, meeting $500 million in unfunded financial aid, library improvements, faculty retention, a new science center, preventative maintenance on 150 year old buildings, renovating aging dormitories, meeting medical research to maintain Tier I research status, elevating the public policy program, renovating the the now-abandoned Jesuit quadrangle, carving out classroom space, getting a training facility built for the only Top 25 basketball program in the nation that doesn't have one, moving on a boathouse that has been awaiting a groundbreaking ceremony for 27 years...and not to mention the debt service on the hundreds of millions of long term obligations Georgetown carries on its balance sheet?

It's become a stalemate, and the kids are the lesser for it. Georgetown looks at its balance sheet and wants someone to step up with the money, and those with the money want assurances it will be be done their way, which Georgetown can't seem to do. Each passing year goes by and they're back to square one. The same temporary stands erected on the morning of Sep. 20, 2005 are still there, and if you're a recruit (or their parent) walking by the MSF, what does that say about their commitment outside the classroom?

There are now 30 year olds working on Wall Street who were promised a stadium by the time they graduated, and when they get called for their annual gift, what do you think they give in return?

[TheBisonator]

I think they do care, but where does it rank among competing priorities, in no particular order, meeting $500 million in unfunded financial aid, library improvements, faculty retention, a new science center, preventative maintenance on 150 year old buildings, renovating aging dormitories, meeting medical research to maintain Tier I research status, elevating the public policy program, renovating the the now-abandoned Jesuit quadrangle, carving out classroom space, getting a training facility built for the only Top 25 basketball program in the nation that doesn't have one, moving on a boathouse that has been awaiting a groundbreaking ceremony for 27 years...and not to mention the debt service on the hundreds of millions of long term obligations Georgetown carries on its balance sheet?

It's become a stalemate, and the kids are the lesser for it. Georgetown looks at its balance sheet and wants someone to step up with the money, and those with the money want assurances it will be be done their way, which Georgetown can't seem to do. Each passing year goes by and they're back to square one. The same temporary stands erected on the morning of Sep. 20, 2005 are still there, and if you're a recruit (or their parent) walking by the MSF, what does that say about their commitment outside the classroom?

There are now 30 year olds working on Wall Street who were promised a stadium by the time they graduated, and when they get called for their annual gift, what do you think they give in return?

How much of a financial crisis is Georgetown really in nowadays?? From your post, it seems like things are going to the brink of collapse. I've heard some snippets of how GU is doing financially, and they're not good. I know there are some private schools (albeit much much smaller) in the Dakotas and Nebraska (Huron College, Dana College) that have had to shut their doors due to being in too much debt. Is Georgetown near that type of situation?? Is it really that bad there?? I honestly don't know, I just would like to know. How will Georgetown ever get themselves out of this situation? And how did it happen anyway? I heard a comment about the previous president squandering away money. I would just like to get a little more info on how bad it really is there, how it got that way, and if it can be fixed. Thanx in advance

[ngineer]

Why would the Georgetown band play the Syracuse fight song?http://blog.syracuse.com/orange-segment/2009/02/donte_on_drums_on_down_down_th.html

I was referring to what ol' Monica was doing in the Oral, er.. Oval Office.(;-)

[DFW HOYA]

How much of a financial crisis is Georgetown really in nowadays?? From your post, it seems like things are going to the brink of collapse. I've heard some snippets of how GU is doing financially, and they're not good. I know there are some private schools (albeit much much smaller) in the Dakotas and Nebraska (Huron College, Dana College) that have had to shut their doors due to being in too much debt. Is Georgetown near that type of situation?? Is it really that bad there?? I honestly don't know, I just would like to know. How will Georgetown ever get themselves out of this situation? And how did it happen anyway? I heard a comment about the previous president squandering away money. I would just like to get a little more info on how bad it really is there, how it got that way, and if it can be fixed. Thanx in advance

In the late 1990's, Georgetown was in poor financial condition as a result of operating losses at its hospital, well over $300 million before all was said and done. It was forced to sell the hospital's assets outright in exchange for relieving $80 million of $83 million lost that year alone. Coupled with the use of debt financing to cover university operations during this period, Georgetown is highly leveraged, but has improved--it was taken off S&P Credit Watch in 2005 and got its bond rating above BBB+ (very poor for a major research university) in 2008. It's certainly solvent in 2011, but was heading down a slippery slope a decade earlier. Unlike schools which can raise enrollment and/or tuition to cover costs, it can't add enrollment to cover expenses because the school is under an enrollment cap by the city and its tuition is already at a ceiling.

A highly leveraged organization, be it business or a non-profit, will be constrained in its scope of operations without a) lots of cash or b) until the debt is retired. Most of this debt is long term, so this problem, while not as dire, is not going away.

Since 2000, all new construction projects have been judged by a "cash on hand" basis. While there was some significant sums raised through 2003, the football facility plans got mired in red tape, a new athletic director came along who had different ideas for the project, the football coach left, the new coach wasn't asked to push the project, and now there's yet another athletic director deciding what to do next. Long story short, debt won't build it. It must come from private donations, and as LBPop could explain better, the appearance of broken promises around this project (and the poor W/L record) have hurt its ability to move forward.

[LBPop]

There are now 30 year olds working on Wall Street who were promised a stadium by the time they graduated, and when they get called for their annual gift, what do you think they give in return?

I could give you the names of a few future 30 year olds who will do the same. And sadly, things will not likely be different when they do reach 30. As for my comment about caring, I stand corrected...they do care. But when something is 21st on your top 20 priority list, it doesn't get much attention. It's kind of like the parents who are struggling to pay the mortgage and buy basic needs when their kids ask, "Can we go to Disney World?" And the parents say, "Yes, Dear...someday." They do care, but they can't afford to really care. So the kids grow up, the answer gets old, and the kids leave home.