Dr. Sternberg,
I was pleased to read this morning that consultants will be looking into the performance of the men's athletic program; specifically football. I am a relatively recent graduate of UW (BA Political Science class of 2009) and while the student experience at UW was a very good one, in my years at UW (2005-2009) my classmates and I endured horrendous athletic performances with the exception of a few isolated bright spots. I know you are aware of how damaging this can be to the level of engagement and connection the students and alumni have with their university. This is especially harmful with recent graduates and the building of a proud and united alumni base. It saddens me that fellow alums and friends(can't say I blame them) take little interest in Wyoming athletics due to just being tired of the "same old poor performances." There is a mindset that we just do not have what it takes to ever bring championships to Laramie again. Unfortunately those that I was able to convince to join me in making the trip from the Denver metro area (there are some 30,000 of us here) to Laramie last weekend were treated to much worse than those ordinary same old poor performances as you well know. I will be hard pressed to convince any of them to make the trip back to Laramie anytime soon. In the opinion of many of the most ardent fans (I consider myself one of them) Wyoming athletics, specifically football, has become a haven for excuse makers and defeatist attitudes. Are there challenges to recruiting and playing in Laramie WY? Of course there are. Much like there are challenges to recruiting to Boise ID, Stillwater OK, Lincoln NE, Ames IA, Pullman WA, etc. There is no need to rehash those challenges at every possibly moment when discussing performance. This contributes to a mindset that fosters negativity conditions one to accept mediocrity and failure. What the fans, alumni, and students need from UW leadership is a visionary commitment to excellence in athletics, not a justification of mediocrity. Time and time again the UW fans have showed if you build it they will come. There is still an incredible amount of fan support for our teams despite decades of disappointment, with much more willing to come out of hiding when the coast is clear so to speak. Dr. Sternberg I am asking you to be a part of that visionary commitment to excellence, and to help re-instill and awaken the pride in being a poke that lives within our students, alumni, and fans. I think we currently have some pieces in place in Laramie to be successful in men's athletics, and those pieces must be given sufficient resources to be successful. We need to get this right. I have no doubt a good first step is for an outside perspective to evaluate the programs. All in all I thank you for being proactive, and I look forward to the future of UW athletics. Welcome to the Wyoming family Mr. President, and GO POKES!
