The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/592698
NOVEMBER 2015 ■ 23 well. Our facilities are drastically different than what they were 10 years ago, but we still have a ways to go in some sports. There is more emphasis on academics now than there ever has been. There is more scrutiny than there ever has been and more accountability. We live in an immediate gratification world today, and there is less patience to give coaches the time to recruit and de- velop their programs. There's not much of a honeymoon anymore, and you have to win very quickly. That's unfortunate. The athletic directors since I have been here have been pretty patient, but nation- ally I think there is a lot more pressure to win quicker than ever before. The scholarship costs are skyrocketing, just like sending you own child to col- lege is lot more expensive than it was 10 years ago. The cost of a scholarship is very significant and has increased dramatically over the last decade. NC State's athletic programs achieved a number of best-ever finishes this past year. How has the Wolfpack's athletic and aca- demic success played a role in fundraising efforts? It gives us a great message to take to donors and potential donors that NC State is getting better and better, and that we are having more success athletically and cer- tainly academically than we've ever had. It gives them a sense of pride in the program that they are investing in. Our job is to raise the money to provide scholarships regardless of the success of the teams, but it does make the message we are taking to our supporters a lot easier when our overall program is doing better both athletically and academically. For the last year, the Wolfpack Club's motto has been Membership Matters. What is the significance of that? At State we take a lot of pride in our grassroots support. We are a land grant institution, and we take that very seriously. We want everybody who pulls for State to be a part of the Wolfpack Club regard- less of how much they can give. Member- ship does matter. If somebody is just a part of it, then they can take pride in what happens here. I always ask people, 'Are you a State fan?' Anybody that is a State fan needs to be in the Wolfpack Club. NC State's Close-King Indoor Practice Facility opened in June and has been utilized by the football team when preparing for road games and during inclement weather. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN