TOWSON, Md. – Starting in the 2024-25 academic year, Towson Athletics will be funding 10 additional athletics scholarships, an investment that will impact almost half of Towson's athletics programs and enhance their quest for competitive excellence.
 
Funded by enrollment growth and savings from a new out-of-state scholarship, the 10 additional scholarships will cut the gap in scholarship funding between Towson and its Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) peers by almost 50 percent.
 
"We are thrilled to get the support from our administration to make this a reality. This is a first step, but its impact cannot be overstated," said Towson University director of athletics, Dr. Steven Eigenbrot. "Ultimately, we found a way to be smarter with our resources which will help cover these expenses, but the buy-in from campus leadership to understand what we are trying to do and why says all you need to know about the trajectory of Towson Athletics and our university.
 
Upon his hiring two years ago, Eigenbrot took time to meet with each head coach to listen to their biggest needs and frustrations. From those conversations, two main concerns emerged – sustainability of operating budgets and deficiencies in scholarship support. 
 
"Honestly, I expected to hear both - everyone wants more operating resources, and I was aware our scholarship numbers did not match the numbers allowed by the NCAA, but we needed more context and some time to develop a plan that addressed the problems in a way that worked for Towson," added Eigenbrot.
 
Context and a plan helped come together with the arrival of a new chief financial officer, Patrick Thomas, who brought to the athletics department a unique perspective as both a former Division II lacrosse student-athlete and an industry outsider, having worked most recently as senior finance manager at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC). Thomas's background led to a unique perspective on some of Towson's challenges as he steered the process toward a thorough comparison between Towson Athletics and its CAA peer institutions.
 
"Due to COVID-19, we'd experienced some budget cuts, and student-athletes had unexpected additional years of eligibility which caused roster numbers to wander from our targets," noted Thomas. "We set out to solve our roster struggles in a way that could drive enrollment and ultimately, help the overall institution. It came down to working with campus to help our department benefit from the additional enrollment. It might be 10 scholarships, but ultimately, they will be spread around to help around 20-30 future Towson Tigers." 

The scholarship bump and the steadfast presence of new Towson University President, Dr. Mark Ginsberg, at Towson's athletics events have combined to significantly enhance the momentum enjoyed by TU Athletics.
 
"You can honestly feel the excitement and momentum building not only around our program, but around Towson Athletics as a whole," offered field hockey head coach Katie Salem, whose team is one to directly benefit from the additional funding. "It is not just something we go over the top to sell to recruits, but they can sense and feel the energy we have towards the future, and it really sells the program for itself."
 
Other sports receiving additional scholarships include men's swim and dive, both golf programs, women's track & field, gymnastics and baseball. 
 
"When Towson baseball was almost cut over a decade ago, part of the plan to save it was reducing the scholarship number down from nine to about six, but the NCAA allowable number is 11.7 and the CAA average is over 10.5 scholarships per team," said baseball head coach Matt Tyner. "We still are not where we want to be when it is all said and done but having a few more scholarships is a game- changer for us. This support gives us a shot to be more competitive, and it reminds our student-athletes that this administration values their hard work and this program."
 
The good news did not just come to those programs that received more scholarship funding either. Four teams were also able to improve their ability to offer financial aid to potential student-athletes, regardless of their state of residence.  This increased flexibility results enhances programs' ability to be dynamic in their recruitment of both in-state and out-of-state students; the latter of which is an area of extreme importance to the diversity of Towson's institutional population as about 20 percent of the institution's out-of-state enrollment comes from student-athletes.
 
"Not only were we behind our CAA peers in terms of scholarships per sport, but we also had significant issues with the fungibility of our scholarship dollars for in-state or out-of-state students that needed to be addressed," noted Thomas. "We would have dollars available for a team to use, but in some cases, those dollars could not be offered to the recruit a coach wanted to sign. It was a mess for our coaches to manage."
 
The first student-athletes to receive these funds will not arrive on campus until the upcoming 2024-25 academic year, but the change has led to an almost immediate boost in energy and excitement.
 
"The resources make a tremendous difference," concluded Eigenbrot. "These scholarships do not guarantee success, you cannot guarantee that. But this puts our programs a lot closer to where they need to be competitively and that is something we are all very thankful for."
 
-TowsonTigers.com-