As UC Davis searches for a new athletic director, university officials are contemplating the future of sports at the school – and opening the conversation to the campus and community in a wide-ranging debate over the "Davis Way."

Four years after moving up to Division I, the university has 23 varsity teams, with an emphasis on high academic standards, broad participation and a heavy reliance on student support for funding.

A recent external audit of the athletic department points out that some facets of UC Davis' operating philosophy do not align with many top-tier Division I programs.

Chancellor Linda Katehi, stating the department is at a "crossroads," has said she wants to determine a direction for athletics before hiring a replacement for longtime athletic director Greg Warzecka, who stepped down June 30. Former senior associate athletic director Nona Richardson has been the interim athletic director since the departure of Warzecka, who held the position for 16 years.

In October, Katehi appointed an advisory committee to review the audit and gather public feedback about athletics. Students, faculty and community members have since voiced opinions in several town hall meetings and emails to the committee. Wednesday is the deadline for submitting comment to the committee by email.

"Do we have it right – do we need to stay the course in what we do? Or do we have it different than the other Division I programs, and how do we get in alignment? I think that's a fundamental sort of question for the campus," Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Fred Wood, who is chairing the advisory committee, said earlier this month. "Is it where it needs to be, or does it need to evolve?"

Much of the debate surrounds the audit, conducted by former NCAA President Cedric Dempsey, which compares UC Davis with the operations and finances of three Division I "tiers" – the Big West, Mountain West and Pacific-12 conferences.

Among the audit's more controversial points has been that several of the eight "core principles" established by UC Davis to guide its move to Division I may actually "represent an impediment to increased competitiveness in Division I." The audit is available on the university's website.

Two principles cited by the audit are the program's reliance on student fees and institutional support for core funding, rather than on external resources, and its opposition to "tiering," or preferential funding of certain sports. UC Davis funds grants-in-aid equally to its 23 varsity teams, officials said.

Most Division I programs, the audit states, operate under a "business model" in which revenue comes mostly from external resources and funding is directed to those sports – most often football and basketball – thought to have the best chance of generating revenue through competitive success.

The audit recommends that UC Davis adjust its "core principles" to more closely coincide with common Division I practices. It also explores the financial commitments that, it states, would be necessary for UC Davis to "dominate" the Big West and be competitive in the Mountain West or Pac-12 conferences. The audit does not recommend a direction for the department.

Some have balked at the idea of changing the "core principles," expressing concern that relying on wins for revenue could compromise the university's academic integrity and that preferential funding could lead to the elimination of varsity teams.

Supporters of the "Davis Way" have championed the department's breadth and its presence in the university's educational mission, embodied in its preservation of the teacher-coach role.

"I think the concern is that the Dempsey report really said, 'Look at what these other schools do,' and I don't think we should look to the Pac-12 to be our peers," said Louis Grivetti, a professor emeritus in the UC Davis department of nutrition.

Grivetti said he believes the core principles should be re-examined transparently by the new athletic director but not cast aside. "I think we should look to excellence, and we have that," he said.

Others, including the group Aggies for Excellence, support the idea that UC Davis can be competitive at the highest levels of Division I.

"I'm hearing a lot of, 'The way to make Davis as a university more well-known is through competitive athletics,' and that ultimately increases the prestige of the school," said Kai Ruess, 27, an alum and founding member of Aggies for Excellence, which has drawn about 450 "likes" on its Facebook page.

Ruess said the athletic department could market itself better, particularly to alumni. "For me personally, I am just a big fan," he said. "I would really like to be able to go to a game and have it be a sellout if we have a big football game or basketball game."

A recent online survey that presented undergraduate students with several "athletics options" drew nearly 4,000 responses. The most popular option – "Maintain all current sports and distribute money to those sports equitably" – drew 35 percent of votes.

About 29 percent of those who responded said they did not know enough about the topic. An option of maintaining all 23 current sports but preferentially funding them drew 10 percent of responses, while 7 percent voted to reduce the number of sports "to increase funding for revenue-generating sports."

Although public input has been varied, Wood said, "people are generally supportive of an athletic director that would have responsibility for some level of fundraising."

The department has an operating budget of about $23.6 million, including about $3 million to run its stadium and aquatics center, said Mike Bazemore, assistant athletic director for business operations. About 70 percent of its revenue is from student fees.

It has not been immune to state budget cuts affecting the university system. UC Davis eliminated its women's rowing and men's wrestling, swimming and diving and indoor track teams last year, citing ongoing budget problems.

"Because of the great challenges we have with our budget, people are sort of understanding you need to raise some money one way or another," Wood said. "But what people are questioning is, how much can you really raise? What kind of level can you get from tickets? What kind of level can you get from other aspects? That'll be for the new AD to have to work through."

Eric Loboschefsky, 29, a UC Davis graduate student, said Monday that fallout from the recent pepper spray incident at the university has overshadowed the athletics discussion lately. "I have no idea where that (athletics) issue stands right now," he said.

The advisory committee is tasked with summarizing public input along with its own feedback after Nov. 30 and delivering a report to Katehi.

Wood has said the university already is accepting applications for the athletic director position, but that they are being sent to Dempsey, who is assisting with the hiring process. After a direction is set, the committee will begin to review candidates who fit that direction, he said.

The university hopes to make a hire by late winter or early spring, Wood said.

Dempsey said last week he has received between 50 and 60 applications and expects more. "I think we're developing a pretty good pool," he said.

Comments for the committee can be emailed to athletics@ucdavis.edu.

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