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University of Minnesota drops three sports, combines men’s and women’s departments

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Facing financial hardships, the University of Minnesota athletic departments announced Thursday it would drop three sports and combine the men’s and women’s intercollegiate athletic departments.

The university intends to drop men’s gymnastics and men’s and women’s golf, the Star Tribune reported.

University president Mark Yudof said financial problems within the athletic departments warranted the cuts and merger; he warned he could not “absolutely promise” that no more cuts would follow if financial problems do not improve.

“We need to get better control of expenses and do better with fundraising,” Yudof told the Star Tribune. “I would say there is nothing really off the table in the next couple of years if we can’t get this right.”

Cuts were reportedly made based on the size of team budgets, how many players each had, how much they contributed to gender equality, their impact on diversity, amount of revenue generated, level of fan interest and scholarships given to athletes in Minnesota.

The university is set to begin a search for a new athletic director to head the merged department.

Funding difficulties have proved detrimental to other universities’ athletic departments in the past. Yudof said the University of Massachusetts cut seven sports, Vermont cut five, Iowa State dropped two and Wisconsin cut five.